brown semen

For the past month, my semen has been dark brown.

What are the likely/possible reasons for this?

Is it serious?  What should I do?

[Dr Smitha Mathews]

Hi,

The cause of the brownish discoloration could be in the prostate.
"Red blood indicates new and dark (brownish) discoloration indicates previous bleeding.  Prostatic bleeding often is associated with gross blood during urination.  This typically will occur with initiation or at the end of urination (as opposed to being throughout the entire stream).  With the latter, it is often manifest as spots of blood on the underwear, pajamas or bed sheets..  Irritation of the gland (prostatitis) can also cause it to become inflamed and predisposed to bleed.  Some factors leading to inflammation include too frequent or too infrequent ejaculation, sexual arousal without ejaculation, withdraw at the time of ejaculation, excessive alcohol or spicy foods, prolonged sitting or bike riding, etc.  The prostate may then become secondarily infected and require antibiotic therapy for cure. Sometimes as the prostate gradually enlarges with age, friable veins called varices develop on its surface.   These are also prone to tearing.  In such cases, Proscar is sometimes prescribed to shrink both the prostate and the veins.   Although hematospermia is not a typical sign of prostate cancer, its presence may indicate an increased risk of prostate cancer.  It is exceedingly rare to have prostate cancer before age 40"
en.allexperts.com/q/Urology-Male-issues-989/Brown-semen.htm

However, check if the discoloration is seen repeatedly.

An evaluation by a urologist is essential to rule out any serious conditions.
Sometimes, too infrequent ejaculation can also result in discolored semen on ejaculation, but this clears up after 1-2 ejaculations.

Do keep us posted on your doubts and progress.
Regards