Penile Discharge

Penile Discharge

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* Any unusual discharge needs to be discussed with your doctor.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

A variety of causes could produce a persistent drip from the penis, doctors say. But most likely, in this age of war on sexually transmitted diseases, you've just been handed a dishonorable discharge.

"The vast majority of penile discharges are the result of sexually transmitted diseases," says Michael Warren, M.D., chief of the Division of Urology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The discharge can be thick or thin and vary in hue from white to yellow, greenish or red.

The two most common disease suspects are gonorrhea and chlamydia, according to Michelle Topal, supervisor of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Sexually Transmitted Disease Hotline in Research Park, North Carolina. Both have similar signs. Chlamydia produces a discharge around the head of the penis and perhaps some pain when urinating. Gonorrhea also inflicts some urinary burning or pain.

The leak may let loose as soon as 2 to 5 days after having sex with an infected partner, or it could take as long as 14 days, Topal says. A chlamydia infection shows itself as a discharge anywhere from one to four weeks after intercourse.

Another common cause is an infection or irritation of the urethra, a disease known as nonspecific urethritis, says Irwin Goldstein, M.D., a professor of urology at Boston University School of Medicine. An infection or inflammation of the prostate also may prompt a penile discharge. Both kinds of infections can be transferred to a sexual partner, he says.

Symptom Relief

If you're experiencing penile discharge, you absolutely must see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment. There are, though, some facts you should know before and after your visit.

Take your medicine. Only antibiotics can dam the flow of a penile discharge, doctors say. Ceftriaxone and doxycycline are used for gonorrhea and chlamydia, while other antibiotics are prescribed for urethritis or prostate problems.

Keep it to yourself. Don't take the chance of infecting someone else if you have a discharge from your penis. "You can't risk passing it on," Dr. Warren says. That means no unprotected sex until the problem is diagnosed and treated.

Don't write your own prescription. You can't presume to treat your own infection by rummaging around in the medicine cabinet and swallowing the antibiotics left over from your spouse's dental surgery. "There's precious little you can do until you see the doctor, and you don't want to change the symptoms by taking something," Dr. Warren says.

Stay clean. You should always keep the penis clean by wiping away the discharge and washing with mild soap and warm water. "Just basic hygiene," Dr. Warren says. (Your doctor will want to see the discharge, so don't cleanse the area just before going to his office.)

Pick up the phone. Most cities have free telephone services for people who have questions about genital problems like penile discharge that they suspect are sexually transmitted, Topal says.