There is a white discharge coming from the penis. What could it be?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

What you are describing is a urethral discharge (yellow/ white milky material) with dysuria (painful urination).

If a male patient presents with these two symptoms and a doctor confirms that there is a discharge as shown on your photo (attachment removed to protect patient identity), then it can usually be diagnosed and treated according to a specific schedule.

The two most common causes of acute urethral discharge are both sexually transmitted infections (STI's) caused by chlamydia or gonorrhea bacteria. These infections are contracted from a sexual partner during sexual intercourse and it is therefore very important for the sexual partners also to be treated and to test for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

A doctor will also usually make sure there is no ulcer (open sore) on your genitals.

A sample of the discharge can be sent away for testing, but if it is the first episode (time) this usually is not necessary and one can be treated immediately without sending the discharge to the laboratory.

From your symptoms and history, the most likely diagnosis would be a sexually transmitted infection (gonorrhea/ chlamydia) or a urinary tract infection if there is no sexual activity.

According to that, you would have to be treated as follows:

1. Ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice a day for five days OR Azithromycin 500 mg once daily for three days.
2. Doxycycline 100 mg twice a day for 10 days. Consult your specialist doctor discuss with him or her and start taking the medicines with their consent.
3. Sexual partners should also be treated.
4. Testing for HIV should be done (HIV is not the cause of your current problem, but it is also an STI. So, getting one STI means that there is a risk that another was contracted as well).
5. You and your partner must finish all treatment tablets (10 days) and should then be cured of symptoms within seven days.
6. You can get this treatment from your private doctor or any government clinic. The HIV test is also available at all government clinics/ hospitals free of charge.
7. If there is also a sore on your genitals then syphilis infection becomes a possibility, which the doctor should then test for.

Hope this helps you.

For more information consult an internal medicine physician online