Blood in Semen

Dear Ask The Doctor: I recently found traces of blood in my semen. It wasn't much but was alarming to see. I get my prostate checked every year along with psa test (3 months ago). Everything was fine. Only thing I can think of is shoveling heavy snow about a month ago and felt some discomfort down there. Could a hernia cause this or what are the possible causes? Thank you.

Dear Mike: Blood in the semen is actually a fairly common occurrence in men of all ages. There are number of causes, most of which are insignificant. The most common cause is a recent prostate biopsy. Other causes include prostate infections, direct trauma to the prostate, infections of the urethra (tubular structure which carries urine and semen), some sexually transmitted diseases, bleeding disorders and diseases of the seminal vesicles. The seminal vesicles are a pair of organs in the pelvis that help with the production of semen. Sometimes no cause of blood in the semen is identified. Cancer very rarely causes blood in the semen.

Most cases of blood in the semen resolve without any treatment since the causes are benign. You may continue to examine the semen for anymore episodes of bleeding over the next two months. Should you see a recurrence or should there be heavy bleeding see your urologist.