Why are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) so persistent and incurable? Urethral discharge is not necessarily an STD.
**Article 23**
Why are sexually transmitted diseases so persistent and difficult to cure?
**Case Study**
**Name: Tang Yong (pseudonym), 27 years old**
**Region: Guangzhou, Guangdong**
**Occupation: Management Trainee at a Company**
Tang Yong had just graduated with a master's degree. He overcame numerous obstacles and stood out from the crowd, finally entering the company of his dreams as a management trainee. This was the reserve team for the company's leadership. Although there was a lot to learn and the work was tedious, he enjoyed it very much.
One morning, he woke up to find some discharge on his underwear. He hadn't had any strange dreams the night before, so it couldn't have been nocturnal emission. His urine stream was also off-center when he urinated, which raised his suspicions. He remembered going to a public bathhouse with some colleagues a few days earlier.
Tang Yong took the day off and secretly went to a small clinic, where he was told he had a sexually transmitted disease. He panicked and immediately spent money on two courses of "miracle drug." But even after spending the money and finishing the medication, his symptoms showed no improvement. He became even more confused: Did I really have an STD?
Wang Rui, Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University: To answer this question, we must first understand the nature of urethral discharge. Is all urethral discharge in men a sign of sexually transmitted diseases? The answer is no.
Male urethral discharge can be classified into physiological and pathological types. Pathological discharge can be further categorized by morphology into mucous, serous, and bloody discharge. Large amounts of thick, yellow, purulent discharge that can flow out spontaneously and stain underwear, or where pus accumulates at the urethral opening in a hemispherical shape, blocking the urethral opening, accompanied by stinging and burning pain at the urethral opening, are indicative of acute gonococcal urethritis, a sexually transmitted infection.
Large amounts of thin, white discharge, or white purulent discharge, accompanied by urethral itching and varying degrees of urinary frequency, urgency, dysuria, and difficulty urinating, especially in the morning urine, are often caused by non-gonococcal urethritis, which is currently the most common sexually transmitted disease, caused by mycoplasma, chlamydia, or Candida albicans. Bloody discharge is often seen in cases of bleeding caused by urethral injury or penile cancer.
Physiological secretions are most commonly found from the bulbourethral glands. These glands are located within the deep transverse perineal muscle bundle, posterosuperior to the bulbous urethra. Each gland has a slender excretory duct that opens into the bulbous urethra. During sexual arousal and penile erection, bulbourethral gland secretions enter the urethra. The secretions are clear and viscous, serving to lubricate the urethra and constituting the initial portion of ejaculated semen.
Even without sexual activity, the penis will involuntarily erect at least three times a night due to hormonal regulation. This erection stimulates the bulbourethral glands to secrete a small amount of clear, thin discharge, which is a normal physiological phenomenon. However, due to a lack of hygiene knowledge and irresponsible treatment by some unregulated hospitals driven by profit, Tang Yong was falsely diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease.
Therefore, men should not panic or be afraid when they discover abnormal urethral discharge. They must have the discharge examined at a reputable hospital. Do not go to small, unlicensed clinics out of embarrassment, as this could give unscrupulous individuals an opportunity to take advantage of you, leading to financial loss and emotional distress.