My sperm is yellow: what to do?
It's normal to be concerned when you notice that your semen is yellow in color. Semen usually has a color close to white or light gray. This substance is rather thick during ejaculation, but it eventually thins out after 20 to 30 minutes.
Changes in semen color or texture are usually temporary and do not necessarily indicate a health problem. However, if these changes persist for more than three or four weeks, we advise you to consult a doctor to check if these symptoms are caused by a possible health problem.
Sperm color: What are the causes?
Several factors can affect the color of semen, these include the age of the man affected by this problem. As men get older, sometimes they notice that their semen isn't as white as it used to be. Indeed, it ends up turning light yellow over time and this detail usually goes unnoticed.
Diet can also make semen darker. Foods rich in sulfur can in particular change the color of semen and make it yellow. These foods include garlic, onions, vegetables, grains, nuts, cabbage, broccoli and asparagus. If you consume these foods in large quantities, we advise you to reduce your intake or drink more to help your body eliminate excess sulfur more easily. Sometimes it happens that the semen takes on a yellow color when men consume multivitamin complexes. If this concerns you, we recommend that you interrupt your treatment in order to check whether your semen returns to its normal color.
If you have not ejaculated for a long time, it is also likely that the semen evacuated after this period of abstinence is yellow in color. In this type of situation, the sperm ends up accumulating inside the seminal vesicles and this substance also thickens over time. This sperm can therefore have a yellow color and a lumpy texture during ejaculation.
Urine can also give semen a yellow color. During erection, the flow of urine is blocked so that semen is the only substance expelled when the man ejaculates. In some cases, however, it happens that a small amount of urine mixes with the semen and gives it a slight yellow tint. To avoid this problem, it is therefore recommended to urinate before having sexual intercourse.
In many cases, an abnormal color or consistency indicates a health problem. A prostate infection can change the color of semen and turn it yellow, green, or golden. When a man suffers from hormonal imbalance, his semen may become thick, lumpy or take on the consistency of jelly. Semen can take on a pink, red or dark brown color when it contains blood, and blood can appear when there is bleeding from the prostate.
Sexually transmitted diseases can also alter the color of semen. These changes are usually caused by gonorrhea or chlamydia. Semen also tends to give off a foul odor when suffering from these diseases. Chlamydia sometimes causes pain during ejaculation. If you suffer from this type of symptoms, we advise you to consult a doctor in order to treat this infection. For this, doctors usually prescribe doxycycline, this drug should be taken twice a day for seven days.
Yellow semen is not necessarily an alarming symptom
As you may have noticed by reading this article, yellow semen is not necessarily an alarming symptom. If this phenomenon remains rare, it is probably caused by diet, vitamin intake or abstinence. However, if this symptom persists for several weeks, it may indicate a particular illness such as an infection, and this type of disorder should be treated as soon as possible. It is also important to note that semen takes on a reddish color when it contains blood. If this phenomenon appears for no known reason, we recommend that you consult a doctor as soon as possible.
See a doctor
A change in semen color may be temporary and disappear within a few days. If you notice that your semen color remains yellow for more than a week or two, see your doctor.