Semen Bloody

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* Blood appears in your semen more than three times.

* Bloody semen is accompanied by any pain in the area between your genitals and anus, or by a frequent and urgent need to urinate.

* You are more than 50 years old.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

You probably first noticed it after making love, and it scared the bejeebers out of you. But relax. There is, doctors say, no reason for immediate alarm.

Whether it appears as wispy threads of red or dyes your entire ejaculate rusty brown, blood in the semen is almost always harmless and will probably disappear on its own.

"Blood in the semen is very common. It's usually benign," says Bruce H. Blank, M.D., clinical associate professor of urology at Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine in Portland. "We don't find a cause in the majority of cases, and even when we do find a cause, it's usually not a threatening medical problem."

In other words, bloody semen is almost never serious (or, as many people first think, a sign of cancer). A minor infection can sometimes cause blood to appear in the semen, according to Dr. Blank. Occasionally, especially in older men, it's a sign of a prostate or other urological problem. In most cases, the blood disappears within three weeks.

Symptom Relief

Here's what your doctor might do and suggest to end bloody emissions.

Leave aspirin on the shelf. Unless they're prescribed, don't take any medications that can thin the blood or prevent clotting. "Don't take aspirin, because you'll be prone to bleed more easily," Dr. Blank says. If you don't know whether medications you're currently taking fall into this category, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Go ahead. Enjoy. There's no need to be afraid of making love, says Dr. Blank. It can't hurt you or your partner.

Get medical help. See your doctor if you still see blood in your semen after three weeks, if you feel any pain while ejaculating or urinating or if you're over 50. Whether you have a minor infection or prostatitis, the prescription is usually the same: antibiotics, probably tetracycline or doxycycline. "Since a doctor can't always determine the cause," Dr. Blank says, "the antibiotic will at least provide reassurance that a possible infection is being treated."

Prepare for a probe. During your office visit, your doctor may want to examine your prostate and perform a cystoscopy—an examination of your bladder and urethra with a small optical device. "If the blood is persistent, we have to be sure you don't have a tumor or a polyp," says E. Douglas Whitehead, M.D., a urologist, co-director of the Association for Male Sexual Dysfunction in New York City and an associate clinical professor of urology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York.