Link Between Retrograde Ejaculation And Male Infertility
Retrograde ejaculation occurs when semen enters the bladder instead of emerging through the penis during orgasm. Although you still reach sexual climax, you might ejaculate very little or no semen. This is sometimes called a dry orgasm.
Retrograde ejaculation isn’t harmful, but it can cause male infertility. Treatment for retrograde ejaculation is generally only needed to restore fertility.
Risk factors
You are at increased risk of retrograde ejaculation if:
- You have diabetes or multiple sclerosis.
- You have had prostate or bladder surgery.
- You take certain drugs for high blood pressure or a mood disorder.
- You had a spinal cord injury.
Complications
Retrograde ejaculation isn’t harmful. However, potential complications include:
- Inability to get a woman pregnant (male infertility).
- Less pleasurable orgasm due to worries about absent ejaculate.
Prevention
If you take medications or have health problems that put you at risk of retrograde ejaculation, ask your doctor what you can do to lower your risk.
If you need to have surgery that might affect the bladder neck muscle, such as prostate or bladder surgery, ask about the risk of retrograde ejaculation. If you plan to have children in the future, talk with your doctor about options for preserving semen before the surgery.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will:
- Ask questions about your symptoms and how long you’ve had them. Your doctor might also ask about any health problems, surgeries, or cancers you’ve had and what medications you take.
- Do a physical exam, which will likely include an exam of your penis, testicles, and rectum.
- Examine your urine for the presence of semen after you have an orgasm. This procedure is usually done at the doctor’s office. Your doctor will ask you to empty your bladder, masturbate to climax and then provide a urine sample for laboratory analysis. If a high volume of sperm is found in your urine, you have retrograde ejaculation.
If you have dry orgasms, but your doctor doesn’t find semen in your bladder, you might have a problem with semen production. This can be caused by damage to the prostate or semen-producing glands as a result of surgery or radiation treatment for cancer in the pelvic area.
If your doctor suspects your dry orgasm is something other than retrograde ejaculation, you might need further tests or a referral to a specialist to find the cause.