Retrograde Ejaculation: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Ejaculation happens to be the ejection of semen out of the urethra (passageway inside the penis) when a man has his orgasm. Under normal circumstances, ejaculation does propel semen forward via a man’s urethra and out the tip of his penis. This is so as a tiny sphincter (circular muscle) at the entrance to his bladder shuts the opening to the bladder and also prevents semen from entering.

Retrograde ejaculation occurs when the semen travels backward into the bladder.

Retrograde Ejaculation Causes

• Damage from surgery to one’s muscles of the bladder or to the nerves that control these muscles. This damage can indeed occur as a complication of the following surgical procedures: 
  • Prostate surgery— Men who have had a transurethral prostatectomy (removal of prostate tissue via the urethra) have a 10-15% chance of retrograde ejaculation. A prostatectomy (surgery to remove the entire prostate gland, either for cancer or even benign enlargement) results in a higher risk of retrograde ejaculation after the procedure.
  • Surgery on, of course, certain parts of one’s bladder.
  • Extensive pelvic surgery, especially so to treat cancer of the prostate, testicles, colon, or even rectum.
  • Staging surgery for cancer in the person’s pelvis or lower abdomen (this surgery does remove lymph nodes in the pelvis and lower abdomen to help determine how far cancer has indeed spread).
  • Certain types of surgery on the discs and also vertebrae of the lower spine.
• Nerve damage caused by medical illness— This is especially common in men suffering from multiple sclerosis or with long-term, poorly controlled diabetes. 
• Side effects of medication— Medications that can cause retrograde ejaculation do include drugs to treat: 

Symptoms of retrograde ejaculation causes:

• • Depression.
  • Psychosis.
  • a dry climax (orgasm without semen).

Treatment

There are now innovative, minimally invasive forms of prostate surgery for enlarged prostates (not cancer) that can cause less retrograde ejaculation than the standard procedures. These newer sorts of procedures include transurethral needle ablation of one’s prostate (TUNA) and also transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT). Even if these procedures do cause fewer cases of retrograde ejaculation, they may not be appropriate for all patients. 

More about retrograde ejaculation causes treatment

Most men suffering from retrograde ejaculation do not need specific treatment. If the condition has a side effect of medication, the doctor may be able to switch the patient to a different drug that does not cause the problem. In a few men, all that is needed is reassurance that retrograde ejaculation is not a serious medical problem and that it is not a sign of a serious condition. 

In a few men, retrograde ejaculation does require treatment as it interferes with fertility. This treatment does vary depending on the cause. If one’s retrograde ejaculation is a side effect of medication, one’s doctor probably will switch him to a drug that does not affect ejaculation. 

If retrograde ejaculation is the result of damage to one’s nerves or muscles of one’s bladder, then it may not be possible to restore normal ejaculation. If this is so and the patient is hoping to have a child, a fertility specialist can help out. In a few cases of retrograde ejaculation, three of the more commonly used assisted fertilization procedures are: 

• Intrauterine insemination (making use of a small catheter to put washed sperm inside one’s partner’s uterus at the time of ovulation).
• In vitro fertilization (incubating eggs and also sperm together in the laboratory to produce fertilization).
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (injecting a single sperm into your partner’s egg to cause fertilization).

Approaching Professional

Contact the doctor if producing little or no semen when ejaculating, especially if the person is hoping to father a child. 

Conclusion

Retrograde ejaculation causes can be treated professionally.