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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
During a male orgasm, sperm is released from each of the testicles. From each testicle, sperm then travels through a tube called the vas deferens. The vas deferens leads into the prostate, where sperm mixes with semen. The muscle at the opening of the bladder (bladder neck) tightens to prevent semen from entering the bladder as it passes into the tube inside the penis (urethra). This is the same muscle that holds urine in your bladder until you urinate. With retrograde ejaculation, the bladder neck muscles don't tighten properly. As a result, sperm can enter the bladder instead of being ejected out of your body through the penis.
Several conditions can cause problems with the muscle that closes the bladder during ejaculation. These include:
- Surgery such as bladder neck surgery or prostate surgery
- Side effect of certain medications used to treat high blood pressure, prostate enlargement and mood disorders
- Nerve damage caused by a medical condition such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis or a spinal cord injury
A dry orgasm is the primary sign of retrograde ejaculation. But dry orgasm — the ejaculation of little or no semen — can also be caused by other conditions, including:
- Surgical removal of the prostate (prostatectomy)
- Surgical removal of the bladder (cystectomy)
- Radiation therapy to treat cancer in the pelvic area
- Kaplon D, et al. Ejaculation disorders. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/120705265-3/804926975/1701/189.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04134-8..50008-2--subchapter5_3989. Accessed Feb. 2, 2009.
- Sigman M. Surgical management of male infertility. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: 2007; Saunders Elsevier. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/118643778-10/798827372/1445/23.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..50022-4--cesec82_1716. Accessed Feb. 2, 2009.
- Ohl DA, et al. Anejaculation and retrograde ejaculation. Urologic Clinics of North America. 2008;35:211.
- Bettochi C. Ejaculatory disorders: Pathophysiology and management. Nature Clinical Practice Urology. 2008;5:93.
