Prostatitis can also cause infertility by creating defects in the seminal fluid and in the sperm. In retrograde ejaculation, the same sphincter muscle involved in incontinence fails to function properly during sexual intercourse. Normally, the sphincter tightly closes the passageway through which urine travels from the bladder. When it does, semen travels down through the penis. Unfortunately, there is usually enough damage to the sphincter during any type of prostatectomy to cause retrograde ejaculation.
Greater damage can cause incontinence, too.
A man with retrograde ejaculation can experience normal orgasm, so it is not always readily apparent to him that the condition exists. Sometimes, the first clue is slightly cloudy urine in the toilet bowl when you void for the first time after ejaculation. But don't ever count on retrograde ejaculation for birth control, because the condition does not always result in all the semen backing up in the bladder. Most men who experience retrograde ejaculation are at an age and in a family situation where fertility is no longer of concern. He felt very strongly that his long absences at sea would harm a family relationship.