What do coliform bacteria in semen indicate?

Q: I am a 46 years old male weighing 85 kg. I underwent semen analysis, which showed coliforms in the semen. What does it mean? Will it lead to impotency?

A:I am not sure why you got the semen analysis in the first place. If it was for infertility, you can be treated with a course of antibiotics if the semen parameters are impaired. In men who are older than forty, the most common organisms to cause infection of the epididymis (epididymitis) / testis (orchitis) are "coliform bacteria." Coliform bacteria can actually be found in the genitals of all men, but before the age of 40 these organisms are generally only "colonized" in men's genitals; that is, the bacteria live there but do not cause an infection. However, in older men with larger prostates, there is often more urine left in the bladder at the end of urination. This allows the bacteria to grow. The bacteria can then move backwards through the genital tract and cause an infection of the epididymis / testis. So as long as you don't have urinary symptoms (urinary urgency, hesitancy, intermittency, nocturia), this is a normal finding.