Haemospermia or haematospermia: what does it mean if you find blood in your sperm?

By Cristiano Antonino Last updated Jun 17, 2023

Haemospermia or haematospermia – the presence of blood in semen – is an event that occurs as a result of the rupture of certain blood vessels along the tract that semen travels during ejaculatory phenomenon

Those who experience the problem describe its visual appearance as being in the form of bright red spots or streaks of blood within the seminal fluid, while others report that the blood loss is dark brown in colour.

The incidence of this medical condition is quite high: many patients have observed traces of blood in their semen at least once in their lifetime.

Although the phenomenon itself is not necessarily worrying or indicative of some other serious pathology, it is advisable to consult a specialist anyway in order to carry out thorough analyses and exclude other ongoing pathologies.

Blood in semen: the causes

To investigate the causes behind the presence of blood in semen, it is first necessary to make a clear distinction between non-pathological and pathological causes.

Non-pathological causes of the presence of blood in semen

In general, when patients with this condition are young, the causes of haemospermia are not considered pathological.

Most often this occurs either as a result of a prolonged period of sexual inactivity or following a period characterised by a particularly active sex life.

Pathological causes of the presence of blood in semen

Generally speaking, adults and the elderly are not prone to episodes of haemospermia.

When this condition does occur, however, it is important to take note of its frequency: an occasional occurrence should not be a cause for undue concern; if, on the other hand, episodes become frequent, they may be alarm bells for more serious pathologies that should be investigated.

The presence of blood in the semen can in fact be traced back to pathologies such as urethritis, prostatitis, and vesicular-deferentitis.

Less common but still likely is that blood in semen can be traced back to specific infections such as schistosoma, chlamydia, trichomonas, and haemorrhagic cystitis.

Blood in semen may also occur following prostate biopsy, invasive urogenital manoeuvres, kidney, bladder or ureter stones.

In more serious cases, haemospermia may be a symptom of prostate, testicular or bladder cancer.

Taking certain types of medication, such as anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents, can also promote the onset of haematospermia.

Diagnosis and treatment

In most cases of haematospermia, the condition occurs occasionally and resolves on its own without the need for any kind of intervention.

Only in rarer cases, when the frequency becomes higher, is it appropriate to seek medical advice from a specialist who can make a precise diagnosis to rule out the possible presence of more important pathologies.

It is a good idea to seek medical advice if haematospermia appears in patients over 40 years of age, if the bleeding persists for more than three or four consecutive weeks without ever regressing spontaneously.

On the other hand, medical consultation must be sought promptly if – in addition to bleeding – there is pain, aching or burning in the genitals, during the ejaculatory act or during urination.

The specialist will carry out a thorough anamnesis, making sure that in the patient’s medical history there are no cases of cancer, coagulation problems, trauma, genital malformations, or that no sexually transmitted infections have occurred.

If the situation warrants it, the specialist may prescribe drug therapy appropriate to the diagnosis made.

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