Brown Semen

Hi Ed

Im sorry your having such a rough time and I know how anxiety can consume you when your worried about your health My Husband had an episode of pink tinged semen earlier this year, his urine test was fine but Dr ordered a semen culture as well which showed he had an ecoli infection in his semen.  Your semen has a brown colour which would most likely signify old blood which may also be an ecoli infection as you say you recently had ecoli. Wishing you All the best .

Hi Ed,

I can't recall having seen anywhere that dark/blood in semen is a typical symptom of untreated PCa. We see it mentioned after a man has had a biopsy or surgery and very occasionally after RT. It can also happen to any man following very vigorous sex.or masturbation. I think it is more likey to be due to an infection, (some are very difficult to eradicate), A culture test would seem to be a good idea.

Sorry you have been beset by medical problems. No doubt you will continue to have regular PSA tests as men tend to be more proactive in the US and as you will be aware, the incidence of PCa increases with age.

h

Hi Ed

It can be many things from infection, localised injury to PCa. My first symptoms were brown/blood in semen July 2015 to January 2016 and doctors weren’t concerned at all but I kept on the case.

Keep an eye on PSA numbers over time. A trend upwards (velocity) can be a tell tale sign. mpMRI are useful as gives a further level of visibility. The gold standard is fusion (MRI +ultrasound) guided biopsy. All have strengths and weaknesses but give increasing levels of what’s going on. 

If you are near UCLH (London) or have private the team there have excellent scanners and radiologists. Try and connect with a consultant with a proven track record and well published. Like all skill sets there are average folk all the way through to rock stars in their field. 

Best of luck and try not to stress too much at this stage but keep the pressure on for and accurate and evidence based diagnosis.

Edited by member 09 Oct 2025 at 07:09  | Reason: Not specified

Hello, Ed.

Welcome to the forum.

Your PSA is 1.3. It is very unlikely that your blood in semen is connected with your prostate gland.

https://www.baus.org.uk/patients/conditions/1/blood_in_the_semen_haematospermia/

I believe, the causes of over 70% of cases of blood in semen, are never found.

Good luck, mate.

Hi again Ed.

You have prostate problems. Your prostate is slightly enlarged and you seem prone to prostatitis. Both conditions, plus other non cancerous disorders, can cause elevated PSA levels. Your 1.6 is not in the abnormal range, which for a man of your age is above 2.5.  A single rise, in a year of 0.3, is nothing to worry about, but I'd keep having annual checks to see if the rise continues.

As for your discoloured semen, it is rare for this to be caused by cancer, it's much more likely to be caused by other non cancerous conditions including your blood thinning medication.

Of course it's worrying to see blood in your semen or urine, but honestly, mate, I think you are being over anxious. Your doctor and urologist seem to have the situation under control. 

If you Google any medical ailment. You'll usually find the cause of symptoms range from 'It's nothing to worry about' to 'Oh my God! It could be serious!' If you're not careful, you can spend all your life worrying about being seriously ill when you're not.

Good luck, mate. 👍

Edited by member 27 Oct 2025 at 08:03  | Reason: Typo