The Causes of Urethral Discharge

There are a few causes of urethral discharge and tests may be done in order to determine the reason behind your specific case. The urethra is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus to remove fluids from the body. In men, the urethra travels through the penis and carries semen as well as urine. The tests that are conducted are designed for men and male children.

Most often, a urethra test will be recommended by your doctor to check if there are existing symptoms which can lead to an infection in the genital tract. The following are the symptoms.

• swelling or redness around the urethra
• a sore throat
• discharge from the urethra
• swollen testicles
• painful urination
• increased urine frequency

The test for checking a urinary infection is performed to check for the presence of an infection and although the procedure is a quick one, it can be a bit uncomfortable and can also be slightly painful.

Below are few causes that may possibly result in urethral discharge.

Urethritis is an inflammation of the urethra and is accompanied by pain when urinating. That’s the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. Urethritis is commonly due to infection by bacteria and it can typically be cured with antibiotics.

Urinary Tract Infections are caused when the bladder is not completely emptied or something irritates the urinary tract. UTIs are the second most common type of infection in humans and The National Kidney & Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) reports that UTIs account for over 8 million doctor visits annually.

Trichomoniasis is an infection caused by parasitic trichomonads, chiefly affecting the urinary tract, vagina, or digestive system and is a sexually transmitted disease. Symptoms usually appear between 5 to 28 days after being infected, although they can develop at any time. It is not unusual for symptoms to be sporadic.

Reactive Arthritis is a medical condition typically affecting young men, characterized by arthritis, conjunctivitis, and urethritis, and is caused by an unknown pathogen, possibly chlamydia. The following three conditions are combined:

(1) arthritis; (2) inflammation of the eyes (conjunctivitis); and (3) inflammation of the genital, urinary or gastrointestinal systems.

Chlamydia Infection – People suffering from chlamydia often show no external symptoms in the early stages which might make you think that you shouldn’t worry. However, chlamydia can cause health problems in the more advanced stages, including preventing women from getting pregnant or even endangering their ongoing pregnancy. Since it is a sexually transmitted disease, if you have unprotected sex with someone whose STI status you’re not certain of, get tested for chlamydia and other STIs as soon as possible.

Urethral stricture – is a medical condition that mainly affects men. According to research studies, very few women get urethral strictures and very few individuals are born with this condition. Urethral stricture occurs specifically in the urethra. The  urethra is a tube that carries urine from the bladder so that it can be expelled from the body. In healthy men, the urethra is wide enough for urine to flow freely through it. Urethral stricture occurs when there is a narrowing of the urethra and the urinary flow can be slightly or severely restricted.