Q:
I freaked when I jerked off the other day because there was blood in my semen. It hasn’t happened again, but I’m worried it will. Is this a sign of something serious?
— Palmed out
Dear Palmed:
You experienced ‘hematospermia’—blood in the ejaculate. It’s more of a scare than a problem. I know because it happened to me once. My first reaction was “I’ve got cancer. I’ve got six months to live.” Then I remembered I’m a sex columnist and knew better.
In half the cases there’s no known cause for it. If it doesn’t happen again, don’t worry about it. But if it does, quit punching the monkey and punch your doctor’s number. It’s most likely a prostate infection easily treated with antibiotics, but sometimes it’s a symptom of something more serious.