In males, retrograde ejaculation occurs when the fluid to be ejaculated, which would normally exit via the urethra, is redirected towards the urinary bladder. Normally the sphincter of the bladder contracts and the sperm goes to the urethra towards the area of least pressure. In retrograde ejaculation this sphincter does not function properly. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The Disease Bold textDatabase is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ... MedlinePlus (medlineplus. ... This article is about human male reproductive system. ... This article is about male ejaculation. ... In anatomy, the urethra (from Greek ουρήθρα - ourethra) is a tube which connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body. ... This article is about the urinary bladder. ... Look up Sphincter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Causes

Causes may be in the autonomic nervous system or the operation of the prostate. Retrograde ejaculation is a common complication of trans-urethral resection of the prostate, a procedure in which diseased, or non-diseased (enlarged prostate) tissue is removed, slice by slice, through a resectoscope passed along the urethra. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male mammalian reproductive system. ...

Retrograde ejaculation is a common side effect of medications such as Tamsulosin that are used to relax the muscles of the urinary tract for various purposes. These medications may cause the bladder sphincter to relax as well and fail to contract fully.
But the medications that mostly cause it are antidepressant and antipsychotic medication, and the patients experiencing that tend to quit them.^[1][2] Tamsulosin (rINN) (IPA: ) is an α1a-selective alpha blocker used in the symptomatic treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). ... Prozac, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, Venlafaxine An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication or other substance (nutrient or herb) used for alleviating depression or dysthymia (milder depression). ... The term antipsychotic is applied to a group of drugs used to treat psychosis. ...

Retrograde ejaculation can also be a complication of diabetes especially in cases of diabetics with long term poor blood sugar control. This is due to neuropathy of the bladder sphincter. This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Neuropathy is usually short for peripheral neuropathy. ...

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is usually by way of a urinalysis performed on a urine specimen that is obtained shortly after ejaculation which will have an abnormal level of sperm within it.
Anejaculation often, especially in case of orgasmic anejaculation, can be confused with retrograde ejaculation, and they share some fundamental aspects of the etiology. Urinalysis is used also to distinguish between them. A urinalysis (or UA) is an array of tests performed on urine and one of the most common methods of medical diagnosis. ... A spermatozoon or spermatozoan ( spermatozoa), from the ancient Greek σπέρμα (seed) and (living being) and more commonly known as a sperm cell, is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. ... This article is about male ejaculation. ... This article is about the medical term. ...

Potential treatments

Retrograde ejaculation may cause a couple to experience problems such as infertility, as most sperm do not get to the vagina and the rest of the female reproductive system. As a method to induce pregnancy, the retrograde ejaculator's urine is centrifuged and the isolated sperm is then injected into the woman. Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a man or a woman to contribute to conception. ... A spermatozoon or spermatozoan ( spermatozoa), from the ancient Greek σπέρμα (seed) and (living being) and more commonly known as a sperm cell, is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. ... The vagina, (from Latin, literally sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. ... The human females reproductive system. ... This article is about human pregnancy in biological females. ... This article is about the scientific device. ...

Around 40% of sufferers from retrograde ejaculation have found that use of pseudoephedrine (brands names include Sudafed) noticeably improves the quantity of ejaculate.^{[citation needed]} The tricyclic antidepressant imipramine has also been used as an effective treatment for retrograde ejaculation. It must be noted that both medications have links to erectile dysfunction, pseudoephedrine being the frontline treatment for priapism. People with erectile dysfunction and retrograde ejaculation (not uncommon in those with diabetes) are strongly advised to seek medical advice about the best 'dual' treatment methods available to them, i.e. combining pseudoephedrine or an alternative with an erectile dysfunction treatments such as sildenafil. Pseudoephedrine (commonly abbreviated as PSE) is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a decongestant. ... Chemical structure of the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline. ... Imipramine (sold as Antideprin, Deprenil, Deprimin, Deprinol, Depsonil, Dynaprin, Eupramin, Imipramil, Irmin, Janimine, Melipramin, Surplix, Tofranil) is an antidepressant medication, a tricyclic antidepressant of the dibenzazepine group. ... Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis. ... Pseudoephedrine (commonly abbreviated as PSE) is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a decongestant. ... Priapism (Ancient Greek: ) is a potentially harmful medical condition in which the erect penis does not return to its flaccid state (despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation) within about four hours. ... Pseudoephedrine (commonly abbreviated as PSE) is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a decongestant. ... Sildenafil citrate, sold under the names Viagra, Revatio and generically under various other names, is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. ...

In most cases those suffering from retrograde ejaculation are advised that a normal sex life is to be expected, however a significant number of those patients who do have it have reported reduced sensation during orgasm. An orgasm (sexual climax) is the conclusion of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, and may be experienced by both males and females. ...

Retrograde ejaculation and alternative medicine

Taoists and some fields of alternative medicine actually recommend and teach deliberate retrograde ejaculation as a way of "conserving the body's energy". One manner of achieving this is by applying pressure to the perineum during orgasm. It is believed the sensation of sperm passing through the urethra causes intense physical sensations that can drain the body of "sexual energy". Others believe the energy is conserved physically by keeping the sperm (and thereby, the "intelligence" that created it) in the body; however, there is no scientific basis for this, as the retrograde-ejaculated sperm are simply lost at the next urination. An ancient Chinese print depicting The Joining of the Essences. Daoist sexual practices (Simplified Chinese: 合气, Traditional Chinese: 合氣, pinyin: heqi) or The Joining of the Essences, is the way Daoists practiced sex. ... Alternative medicine has been described as any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in the United States and Britain.[1] Alternative medicine practices are often based in belief systems not derived from modern science. ... In human anatomy, the perineum, also called the taint, or gooch, is generally defined as the surface region in both males and females between the pubic symphysis and the coccyx. ...

Due to its aforementioned effects on fertility, there is a potential misconception that inducing this condition can be used as a method of contraception. However, it is neither reliable nor effective, due to some sperm still potentially emerging. Many doctors also do not recommend inducing retrograde ejaculation as there is a risk of putting pressure on the pudendal nerve, which can cause numbness in the penis. It is also possible—through repeated use over a long period—that the muscle can become stuck in this configuration.^[3] This can be difficult to correct. Birth control is the practice of preventing or reducing the probability of pregnancy without abstaining from sexual intercourse; the term is also sometimes used to include abortion, the ending of an unwanted pregnancy, or abstinence. ... The pudendal nerve is responsible for orgasm, urination, and defecation in both sexes. ...

Notes

1. ^ [1] (Italian)
2. ^ [2] (Italian)
3. ^ Insert footnote text here

External links

• http://www2.rz.hu-berlin.de/sexology/ECE1/retrograde.html
• Sexual Medicine Society of North America's website: SexHealthMatters.org