Blood From the Penis: What Could Be the Reason?

Finding blood where it’s not supposed to be is scary. This is especially true when it comes to blood from the penis.

While not always the sign of something fatal, penis bleeding can still be an unsettling experience, so it’s always important to see a doctor to know the cause.

In this article, we’ll explore the reasons for penis bleeding and what to do when you experience it.

11 Causes For Blood From the Penis

Before getting into the different causes of blood from the penis, let’s first look at the types of penis bleeding.

Types of Penile Bleeding

Blood from the penis can occur in three ways:

• Blood in urine (hematuria): Symptoms include dark or cloudy urine, difficulty urinating, or painful urination.
• Blood in semen (hematospermia): Symptoms include pain during ejaculation.
• Rupture or scarring on the skin of the penis: This could be a result of an injury or accident.

11 Causes for Blood From the Penis

Here are 11 reasons that could potentially result in penile bleeding.

1. Anticoagulation Drugs

Anticoagulation drugs (blood thinners) are medications that prevent blood clotting.

While they’re effective in preventing strokes during heart failure, they could increase the risk of bleeding.

Penile bleeding as a side effect of blood thinners can occur during urination, sexual intercourse, or minor injuries.

Speak to your doctor about the side effects of blood thinners before taking them.

2. Urinary Tract Infection

UTIs affect any part of the urinary tract, including the urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidneys.

Symptoms of UTIs include blood in the urine, a burning sensation when urinating, and a pungent smell from your urine.

UTIs are often a result of a bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract that enters the urinary tract.

3. Penile Injury

The penis is a vascular organ (with many blood vessels). An injury to it could rupture its blood vessels, leading to blood from the penis.

Penile bleeding due to injury can come from the skin of the penis, blood vessels, or even the urethra.

4. Kidney Disease

Your kidneys are responsible for filtering waste from the blood. Kidney disease can affect this filtration process, resulting in a build-up of blood in the kidneys and damaged blood vessels.

This damage leads to bleeding from the penis and symptoms like pain, swelling, and fatigue.

5. Prolonged Abstinence

Ejaculation after a long period of abstinence could rupture the blood vessels in the penis, leading to blood in the semen. The condition isn’t usually serious and goes away in a few days. However, we highly advise speaking to your doctor if you experience it.

6. Prostate Disease

A diseased prostate tends to enlarge, which could put pressure on the urethra, causing blood to leak into semen. Additionally, prostate cancer can damage blood vessels in the prostate, leading to blood from the penis.

7. Sexual Activity

Penile bleeding from sexual intercourse can result from many factors, such as:

• Vigourous sexual intercourse, the friction from which may cause small tears on the skin of the penis
• Penis injury during sexual activity (like bending or hitting)

8. Strenuous Exercise & Trauma

Strenuous exercise can result in dehydration and exercise-induced hematuria.

Both conditions could affect blood clotting and urinary tract problems, producing blood in the urine or semen.

Trauma or injury to the penis can be caused by accident, sports-related injury

9. Vasectomy

A vasectomy is a surgical form of birth control where the tubes in the testicles that carry sperm to the semen are cut. This blocks the sperm from reaching your semen before ejaculation.

Some of the initial side effects of the procedure include mild pain, swelling, and blood in semen. However, these symptoms disappear within a matter of days.

10. Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Many STDs (like gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and genital herpes) are known to cause blood to appear in your semen. These diseases are spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

11. Urological Cancers

Urological cancers — such as prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer — generate tumours that can disrupt normal blood flow, damage blood vessels, and affect the urinary tract tissues, leading to blood in your urine.

Also Read : How To Choose a Urology Clinic / Urologist?

When To See a Doctor For Penile Bleeding

If you notice blood from your penis, the best time to see a doctor is immediately. Because blood from the penis could be a sign of something severe, it’s best not to take chances.

If your or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of penile bleeding, we highly recommend seeing a specialist as soon as possible.

We invite you to check out Ayu Health Network of Hospitals for the best end-to-end urology care.

Visit our website and book an appointment today.

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Urology Surgery Hospitals in Chandigarh | Urology Surgery Hospitals in Bangalore | Urology Surgery Hospitals in Jaipur | Urology Surgery Hospitals in NCR | Urology Surgery Hospitals in Hyderabad

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References:

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/hematuria-blood-urine

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5387851/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34448932/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519025/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6620124/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6629391/

https://hillman.upmc.com/cancer-care/urologic/symptoms-diagnosis