Why is there blood in my semen?

Symptoms: You’ve noticed blood stains in your semen but have also noticed a discharge from your penis and pain when urinating. Your semen is pinkish and you have an increased need to pee with a feeling your bladder has not fully emptied. Urinating is very painful.

You’ve noticed streaks of red in your semen and discomfort when you ejaculate. You feel tender over the root of your penis. It could be:

A sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia, trichomonas, genital herpes, gonorrhoea and even syphilis.

Prostate cancer. The chances of developing it rise as you get older, mostly in men over 50. It’s more common in men of African origin and less common in Asian men.

Vesiculitis, an inflammation of the seminal vesicles – glands that produce most of the fluid in semen and which empty on ejaculation. Stop it:

Don’t have sex including oral sex without a condom until you’ve had a check-up at an STI clinic. Tell your partner(s) so they can be checked up too.

See your doctor for a rectal examination and blood tests. You may be referred for an MRI scan and an appointment with a specialist to decide on treatment.

See your doctor or go to an STI clinic immediately. Vesiculitis isn’t serious and might get better on its own, or after antibiotics or antiinflammatory painkillers.