Brown Sperm

I just had a brown, runny, sperm ejaculation. What is the cause?

[Life360]

Hi Scorpio, sometimes if sperm builds up in me, like if i dont ejaculate for a few weeks or so,  it comes out darker. Could be just old sperm. I dont think it as anything to do with prostate cancer. Usually to diagnose prostate cancer, it starts with have a psa test when your around 45 years old and also a physical touching of your prostate by your doctor to see if its enlarged.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

The brown discolouration could occur due to the presence of blood in semen, medically known as haematospermia. Haematospermia is most commonly caused by a prostatic venous bleed tough it could originate from the testicles, epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles or urethra as well. Other and related causes include infections (bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic)/ inflammations (50%), calculi, post inflammatory cysts, uncontrolled hypertension, diverticuli, strictures, trauma, growths, bleeding disorders malignancies (4-13%) etc. Multiple causes may be involved in a few cases. Though the condition is self limiting in most cases, a thorough investigation is often implicated to look for causes and more particularly to rule out the more serious causes. Hence it is advised to get this evaluated by a urologist for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management.
Hope this information helps.

Take care!