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Saturday, February 28, 2015
Could Blood Vessel in the Penis be Broken for Urinating Blood?
I recently woke up one morning and had an unusually hard erection. When I went to the bath room I started urinating blood with no pain. I went to the doctor and and had test run. Even though the urine was clear, there were traces of blood. All test came up negative. I am curious, could one of the blood vessels have broken, causing the blood?
The possible explanations are many and, since you don't provide your age, I am unable to provide a clear answer. Gross blood (visible to the naked eye) in the urine in a young man is most likely benign. If the urine clears during the process of voiding, that indicates that the blood is from the prostate. If the blood appears at the tip of the penis when not voiding, that indicates that the blood is in the urethra below the prostate. If the blood is present throughout the voiding, that indicates the blood is from the bladder or above (ureters or kidneys). Occasionally, blood in the seminal fluid is seen which indicates blood from the seminal vesicles. Appropriate evaluation can be performed by a urologist to determine the significance of the episode you experienced.
James F Donovan, Jr, MD
Professor of Surgery
Director of UC Urology
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati