{"id":5384,"date":"2019-11-22T16:29:42","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T16:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5384"},"modified":"2020-07-09T13:11:48","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T13:11:48","slug":"penis-discharge-do-i-have-an-sti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/penis-discharge-do-i-have-an-sti\/","title":{"rendered":"Penis Discharge: Do I have an STI?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Whilst discharge coming from your penis may be alarming, there isn\u2019t necessarily a need to panic. There are several other reasons why discharge may occur, other than STIs. However, if you are at risk of an STI, it is always a good idea to get tested. Unusual discharge could indicate a need to visit a sexual health clinic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>There are a number of possible explanations for penile\ndischarge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Urinary tract infection (UTI) <\/strong>is an infection of the urethra, usually caused by bacteria which enters the urinary tract.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Symptoms include:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Clear or pus-like discharge<\/li><li>Frequent urination<\/li><li>Burning during urination<\/li><li>Cloudy\/smelly urine<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Urethritis<\/strong> is an inflammation or infection of the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder). It is usually caused by bacteria passed through unprotected sex with someone who is infected but can also be caused by non-sexually transmitted bacteria.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Symptoms include:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Discharge from the penis<\/li><li>Burning sensation when urinating<\/li><li>Itching near the penis\u2019 opening<\/li><li>Blood found in semen or urine<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Balanitis <\/strong>is an inflammation of the head of the penis caused by poor hygiene under the foreskin, an allergic reaction to soaps, condoms or other, or an STI.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Symptoms include:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Discharge from under the foreskin<\/li><li>Itchiness<\/li><li>Pain when urinating<\/li><li>Blotchy rash<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>STIs which can cause discharge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In many people, STIs will show no symptoms. However, if you\nare experiencing unusual discharge, it is important to get tested for the\nfollowing STIs, for which symptoms may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Chlamydia<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Watery discharge\/mucus from the tip of the penis<\/li><li>Urethritis<\/li><li>Testicular pain<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Gonorrhoea<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>White, yellow or green fluid from the tip of the\npenis<\/li><li>Pain during urination<\/li><li>Testicular swelling<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Mycoplasma<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Discharge from the urethra<\/li><li>Pain during urination<\/li><li>Pain or irritation in the penis<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Trichomonas<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Thin, white discharge<\/li><li>Need to urinate frequently<\/li><li>Pain during urination or ejaculation<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>So, should I get tested?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unusual discharge coming from your penis could be a sign of\nany of the above. If you are concerned about your sexual health, an STI test is\na good place to start. This way you can ensure that your health is protected\nand that you are treating the right problem effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you suspect that you have urethritis, testing for\nChlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Mycoplasma is important, since urethritis is\nassociated with the bacteria which causes these STIs. The viruses which cause\nHerpes and HPV\/Genital Warts can also lead to the development of urethritis, so\ngetting tested for these is also recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>[1] Healthline: <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/male-discharge-normal#reasons\">Is Male\nDischarge Normal?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[2] Healthline: <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/urethritis#types\">Urethritis<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[3] WebMD: <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/sexual-conditions\/mycoplasma-genitalium#1-4\">What\nis Mycoplasma Genitalium?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[4] CDC: <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/std\/trichomonas\/stdfact-trichomoniasis.htm\">Trichomoniasis<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[5] Healthline: <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/mens-health\/uti-in-men#causes\">Everything You Should Know About UTIs in Men<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whilst discharge coming from your penis may be alarming, there isn\u2019t necessarily a need to panic. There are several other reasons why discharge may occur, other than STIs. However, if you are at risk of an STI, it is always a good idea to get tested. Unusual discharge could indicate a need to visit a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":""},"categories":[20,16],"tags":[2276,2275,2274],"yst_prominent_words":[1619,2272,2280,2270,2266,1040,2267,1072,1654,563,752,725,2269,705,2268,2271,2277,1074,2278,2279],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5384"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5791,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5384\/revisions\/5791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5384"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=5384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}