Patient's question:

I broke up with my girlfriend, and I'm feeling down. I've been masturbating to vent my emotions, maybe five or six times a night. Now I've noticed that the semen I ejaculate has blood in it. Is it serious if masturbation causes blood in the semen?

Doctor's answer:

Hematospermia is one of the diseases of the male reproductive system, with its main symptom being the emission of red semen during sexual intercourse. It is most commonly seen in modern medicine as seminal vesiculitis and is relatively rare in clinical practice. This condition is often complicated with prostatitis, with its primary infection pathways being direct spread from urethral and prostatic infections; secondary pathways include lymphatic and hematogenous infections. Due to bacterial invasion and inflammatory stimulation, the seminal vesicles become congested. During sexual intercourse, smooth muscle and blood vessel contraction lead to the leakage of a large number of red blood cells and pus cells into the semen. If blood-tinged semen is emitted during sexual intercourse, masturbation, or nocturnal emissions, it can be diagnosed as this condition.
The best treatment for hematospermia is dietary therapy. Here are a few dietary solutions for you:
(1) Carp Soup: 1 carp (200–500 grams), pepper, cumin, scallions, and ginger in appropriate amounts. Remove the scales, gills, and internal organs of the fish, wash it, and cook it in a sufficient amount of water to make a soup. After it is cooked, add the seasonings. Eat the fish and drink the soup. This has the effect of clearing heat and dampness, and is used for hematospermia caused by downward flow of damp-heat.
(2) Boiled Pig Kidney with Black Beans: 1 pair of pig kidneys, 500 grams of black beans. Wash the pig kidneys, remove the tendons, and cook them with black beans in water until the beans are cooked but not mushy. Eat the pig kidneys and remove the black beans to dry them in the sun. Roast the black beans over high heat and chew them, consuming 30–60 grams daily. A 15-day period constitutes one course of treatment. This has the effect of tonifying the kidneys and replenishing essence, and is used for hematospermia caused by kidney deficiency and inability to hold essence.