discolored semen

[mike625]

I am a 43 year old male. Last year I had surgery for an inguinal hernia. I've always had a mild discomfort since the operation but nothing bad.
Before the operation, the color of my urine was an amber color but now it is just fine. I noticed however a couple of weeks ago that my semen had a brownish discoloration to it. I am married, my wife is pregnant, and at the time before she was pregnant I had a test done on my semen and it was milky white. I know I can rule any std out, and the semen does'nt have any bad smell to it. I wanted to consult a urologist before I push the panic button.
Thank you.

[Dr J Singh]

Hi,
The semen is produced mainly by the prostate gland. When the prostate contracts at the time of ejaculation, a vein may tear and blood mixes with the semen resulting in a brownish coloured semen which is known as hematospermia.  Reddish coloured semen indicates new and dark (brownish) discoloration indicates previous bleeding.  
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. This can be treated by antibiotics.
Although hematospermia is not a typical sign of prostate cancer, its presence may indicate an increased risk of prostate cancer.  Hence, I’ll suggest you to consult a urologist and get yourself examined in detail.
I sincerely hope that helps. Please do keep me posted. Warm regards.