Is it normal to need to pee after masturbating?

Dear Dr Ren,

I’m a gay guy from Canada and I wanted to ask you about my penis. When I am done masturbating I feel the urge to pee. Is that normal for me?

Curious

Dear Curious,

With few specifics in your letter, I’ll give you the facts relating to this event as inclusively as possible and you can choose what applies to you.

Generally speaking, there is nothing unusual or worrisome about needing to pee after ejaculating, regardless of how that climax occurs. This is especially true if you experience no pain upon voiding.

[Read: “Party for One,” Xtra‘s special series on masturbation]

If it has been some time since you last peed, or if you have spent a protracted amount of time jerking off, it makes sense that your bladder has had time to fill and you would feel the need to empty it regardless of the sexual activity you’ve enjoyed in the interim. One way to tell is to pee beforehand or come quickly. Does that “cure” the problem?

Though there is little in the medical research, there exists a lot of anecdotal information that the body seems to need a sort of “pipe cleaning” following coming. Many men report that when they pee just after popping their corks, they notice a bit of cloudiness or even a semen plug coming out with the urine. This, too, is absolutely normal.

Another possibility is that you are experiencing bladder neck spasm, causing retrograde ejaculation. A bit of a biology lesson will explain how this works.

During a male orgasm, a tube called the vas deferens transports sperm to the prostate, which mixes with other fluids to produce semen (ejaculate). The muscle at the opening of the bladder (bladder neck muscle) tightens to prevent this semen from entering the bladder as it passes from the prostate into the urethra inside the penis. This is the same muscle that holds urine in your bladder until you urinate. With retrograde ejaculation, the bladder neck muscle doesn’t tighten properly, allowing semen to enter the bladder instead of the penis. This isn’t a problem requiring treatment, but does explain why your bladder feels suddenly full after an ejaculation.

Though you don’t mention experiencing any pain, I’ll address this, too, as it is not uncommon in these circumstances.

Pain after orgasm (and often upon voiding following orgasm) is most often caused by rough treatment. While enjoying arousal for long periods of time, called edging, the dick tip gets a bit beaten up, especially if you are using a tight grip. Cum causes a burning sensation in this area, which is relieved by peeing. Oftentimes, the urge to pee again follows, but only a small amount gets voided. After a few minutes, both the burning and the need to pee subside, as the irritation to those tender tissues wanes and the bladder neck muscles return to normal.

Another cause for pain is the unwise practice of using soap as a lubricant while you fap. If this soap gets inside the urethra, it can cause irritation. Be mindful in the shower.

If you are experiencing burning when you pee routinely, suspect a urinary tract infection (UTI), often caused by sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs). Get your health care provider to test your urine and treat accordingly.

To determine exactly what is happening in your case, try peeing before you jerk off and see if that makes a difference. When you void following your ejaculation, look for cloudiness or a semen plug in your urine.

If you experience pain upon coming or when peeing afterwards, check for UTIs and, if none are present, assume you need to loosen your grip, shorten your session or avoid soap in the shower. In any case, nothing terribly worrisome is probably going on.

Bodies are quirky and sometimes misbehave. So long as you are noting this only as an occasional disturbance, don’t worry.

Dr Pega Ren is Daily Xtra’s queer- and kink-friendly sex therapist, specializing in relationship and sexual issues, including concerns of the aging population. To learn more about her and the work she does, or to book a session, visit her website at smartsextalk.com.

Have a question for Dr Ren? Send an email to asktheexpert@dailyxtra.com.