Overview
Post-ejaculatory urinalysis is a urine test that looks for sperm in the urine after ejaculation. When a man ejaculates sperm passes from the testicles to the penis. Retrograde ejaculation occurs when semen enters the bladder instead of emerging through the penis during orgasm. Although you still reach sexual climax, you might ejaculate very little or no semen. This is sometimes called a dry orgasm.
Retrograde ejaculation isn't harmful, but it can cause male infertility. Treatment for retrograde ejaculation is generally only needed to restore fertility.
To diagnose retrograde ejaculation, your doctor may recommend a post-ejaculatory urinalysis.
Why it's done
Retrograde ejaculation doesn't affect your ability to get an erection or have an orgasm — but when you climax, semen goes into your bladder instead of coming out of your penis. Retrograde ejaculation signs and symptoms include:
- Orgasms in which you ejaculate very little or no semen out of your penis (dry orgasms)
- Urine that is cloudy after orgasm because it contains semen
- Inability to get a woman pregnant (male infertility)
In addition to the symptoms listed above, your doctor may suspect retrograde ejaculation if the volume on your semen analysis is low, and the sperm counts or motility (how well the sperm moves) is decreased.
What you can expect
Here is what you should expect when you come to the lab to perform a post-ejaculatory urinalysis:
- Abstain from ejaculating 2-7 days prior to testing.
- When you arrive you will be asked to empty your bladder completely.
- After 30-40 minutes have passed, you will then be given a container to ejaculate into for a semen analysis.
- You will then be given a separate container to urinate into. You should completely empty your bladder and make sure to collect all of the urine.