Retrograde ejaculation can happen due to a variety of causes, including certain medicines and surgical procedures.
Additionally, medical conditions such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis may be linked to this phenomenon.
Fortunately, there are a number of treatments that can be pursued, from lifestyle modifications to medications suggested by a healthcare professional.
To understand this condition better, let’s explore how it develops and the symptoms that may arise – and what YOU can do about it.
The Lowdown on Retrograde Ejaculation (And Telltale Signs)
Retrograde ejaculation is one type of ejaculation you wouldn’t want to experience at any time in your sex life.
An ejaculation can be classified as retrograde when the semen flows back up into the bladder during the process of climax and orgasm, instead of being expelled outside the penis through the urethra through penile muscle contraction.
The sperm’s forceful expulsion happens due to the closure of the sphincter that serves as the divider between the bladder and the urethra, thus preventing the semen from going back up the bladder.
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In retrograde ejaculations, the ejaculation itself happens, but the ejaculate fluid “retrogrades” – or travels backward into the bladder instead of the meatus, or the opening found on the other end of your penis.
The hallmark symptom of retrograde ejaculation is when a man ejaculates a small or insignificant amount of semen – if at all. This could cause what is called a “dry” orgasm, where you may feel the orgasm, but produce little or no ejaculate. The ejaculate generally turns up later upon urination. The urine may be cloudy since it has already mixed with the semen and ejaculate fluid inside the bladder. And yes, friends, that requires a trip to your friendly neighborhood healthcare provider.
Retrograde Ejaculation: Understanding Its Underlying Causes
The idea of ejaculation coming back up your bladder can be an unnerving thought for many men. That’s why it’s important to understand the underlying causes that actually cause retrograde ejaculation. Retrograde ejaculation can arise from complications due to surgery, trauma in or around the bladder region and its nerves and muscles (caused by chronic diabetes), or as a side effect of taking certain medicines. Let’s take a closer look at the causes of retrograde ejaculation in this section.
Medicine-Induced Retrograde Ejaculation
Certain medicines may induce retrograde ejaculation. These include anti-hypertensive drugs and prostate enlargement drugs.
For instance, alpha-blockers, which are a class of drugs used to treat hypertension and prostate enlargement, may cause retrograde ejaculations (and other sexual dysfunctions).
Drugs used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, more commonly known as prostate enlargement, or prostatitis (prostate inflammation), may cause retrograde ejaculation as a side effect. For instance, tamsulosin, used to treat prostate inflammation, has been known to cause retrograde ejaculation as a side effect.
Studies show that antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs, such as sertraline and fluoxetine for the former and chlorpromazine and risperidone for the latter, may potentially cause retrograde ejaculation.
Surgery-Induced Retrograde Ejaculation
Undergoing certain types of surgery may cause trauma in and around the nerve endings and muscles surrounding the bladder area, which may cause retrograde ejaculation as a consequence. Prostate surgery, cancer staging surgery, and other cancer surgery around the prostate, colon, testicles, or rectum may cause retrograde ejaculation as well.
Medically-Induced Retrograde Ejaculation
A variety of illnesses can cause trauma around the bladder region, causing the development of retrograde ejaculation. For instance, multiple sclerosis and diabetes may cause nerve and muscle damage in the bladder over time, leading to retrograde ejaculation. Conditions such as spinal cord trauma and injury, certain disorders related to blood, congenital defects and strokes may also lead to retrograde ejaculation.
How to Treat Retrograde Ejaculation
Have you been diagnosed with retrograde ejaculation, or suspect that you might have it? Consult your doctor to find a suitable treatment based on your circumstances and needs. Ask your doctor if the following retrograde ejaculation treatments are right for you.
Adjusting doses of medicines/switching medicines altogether
Since retrograde ejaculation can be caused by certain medicines as we mentioned earlier, and you’re using an antihypertensive drug or antidepressant drug, your doctor may put you on a lower dosage or change your medicine with an alternative that doesn’t cause retrograde ejaculation. Doing so may improve your ejaculatory function and quality over time.
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Using retrograde ejaculation medications
Certain medicines can improve bladder muscle tone to promote better ejaculatory function, particularly if you have had a history of trauma around the nerves and muscles in the bladder. For instance, pseudoephedrine, a stimulant, as well as imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, may be prescribed as a retrograde ejaculation treatment.
Retrograde ejaculation treatments: other options
Some cases of retrograde ejaculation are caused by long-term and far-ranging damage to nerves and muscles. In such cases, retrograde ejaculation may not be treatable.
And since retrograde ejaculation isn’t seen as a significantly harmful medical condition, it doesn’t always need to be treated in a conventional manner. If you’re physically and mentally fine with not producing an ejaculation upon orgasm, your doctor might not find the need to put you on any particular treatment.
Now, if you and your partner wish to have children in light of your untreated retrograde ejaculation, you might want to discuss with a fertility doctor. They could recommend other fertility procedures such as in-vitro fertilization or intrauterine insemination, among other fertility options.
The final word on retrograde ejaculation
Retrograde ejaculation can be unnerving, if not downright frustrating – but ultimately, it isn’t a life and death situation (unless you’re trying to conceive).
Nevertheless, there are plenty of ways you can treat retrograde ejaculation as we have outlined earlier. If you want to get a headstart in treating your retrograde ejaculation, the first step is reaching out to your healthcare provider. They will help you plot out a suitable course of treatment to get your ejaculatory function back up to speed.
Likewise, if retrograde ejaculation is hindering your ability to conceive, consult a fertility specialist to determine you and your partner’s options. Trust us – you can and WILL overcome retrograde ejaculation.
