WARNING: The Embarrassing Bodies website contains images of an explicit medical nature and nudity in a medical context.

Video

Body Check – Semen Transcript

Dr Christian: When men ejaculate the purpose of their semen is probably the last thing on their minds but it serves a very important role. Semen is essentially there to carry and protect the sperm it contains but how it looks can change depending on your general well being.

It’s advisable to occasionally check your semen for anything out of the ordinary, as it could highlight another problem or condition in the body. There are a few simple things to look out for.

Usually semen is a cloudy white or off white fluid that within about 30 minutes outside the body goes runny and clear. Any difference in colour may be your body telling you there is a problem.

If the semen becomes predominantly yellow or tinged with green this could be a sign of infection, often due to the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea.

Red or brown semen could be a sign of a prostate problem like a burst blood vessel, an infection, an injury or in some cases cancer. So do speak to your doctor if the symptoms continue.

The amount of semen produced will vary from man to man and depends on how active a sex life he has. But on average it’s about a spoon full.

However, recurring low levels or watery semen could highlight a problem called retrograde ejaculation. With this condition, sperm is ejaculated into the bladder rather than out through the penis. It is not harmful but can cause fertility problems; or it could be sign of a prostate abnormality so is worth speaking to your GP about.

Semen will often have a chlorine type smell but a strong, foul smelling ejaculation is very likely to be a sign of an infection, and like all the other warning signs, should be examined by a GP.

For this body check and others featured on the site we want to hear about your findings so please come back to share your results and discuss them with other site users.

I know that loads of men find it very difficult to talk about these sorts of problems, but there are lots of treatments available so please talk to your GP if you are worrying.

Read the video transcript

Body Check: Semen

When men ejaculate, the purpose of their semen is probably the last thing on their minds, but it can serve a very important role in spotting changes in your well being. In this video, Dr Christian discusses what changes to look out for in your semen.

Usually, semen is a white or off white fluid that within about 30 minutes turns runny and clear. Any changes in colour or smell could be a sign of something more serious.

Semen will usually have a chlorine type smell, but a strong foul smelling ejaculation could be a sign of infection. Yellow or green tinged semen could also indicate infections and red or brown semen can highlight prostate problems.

The amount of semen produced varies from man to man. However, recurring low levels of watery semen could indicate a condition called retrograde ejaculation and though not harmful, it can cause fertility problems.

If you spot any of these changes contact your GP.

We want to hear about your findings, so please click the link below and add your results to our national survey.

Did you find this useful? YesYes NoNo

773 of 1047 people said they found this useful

Comments and Questions

You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

i konw this might sound stupid but alot of my friends say they ejaculate but there only 13 is it ok to do this at this age????????????





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I am 50 years old. Gay. For the past few months I have noticed that my semen is very watery. It use to be normal thick consistency. I am single but always have protected sex. Please give me some input. Thank you, Richard





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hi, I'm a 16 year old male. When I come my sperm comes out in thick, yellow blobs, however I do NOT feel pain/burning when this happens. What could this be? Please answer!





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

hi, my parter is 39years old and i have told him to go see hes G.P because hes sperm looks a little yellow and does not smell very nice. what could this be?? thanx





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

hello i only have 1 testicle i am 13 and cant ejaculate yet will this efect me in my futer life and will i have the same chances off getting a girl pregnant as others plz reply ?. thank you





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

It won't matter the 1 testicle will produce more than a normal testicle in a pair Also It is not unusual not to be able to ejaculate by 13 so it shouldn't effect having kids in the future

I have noticed that my boyfriend has very watery an clear semen, could this meen he has fertility problems? We have been together for 3 years now and are both clear of STI's. I want him to go for a fertility test but he is worried.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

semen comes in all shades,Dont get side tracked by the guys in porn! i'm 46 mines always been clear and we have 3 heathy kids. hope that helps.

my semen is not completely white it has a little faded yellow in it, but not much. have i goy anything to worry about?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

That just means that some urine has mixed with it

i have yellow spots in my semen. they are very small but can hurt when they come out. it is not yellow semen or sperm and my sperm is not clumpy there are just yellow spots.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Is it normal for sperm to have a gelatin appearance and also bits....sometimes it is quite creamy and thick ..i would say normal..other times it is like what i described...is this sperm active...will i be able to produce kids





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I have the same gelatinous lumps on mine from time to time, and while I cannot comment on how active those sperm are, my wife and I have two beautiful boys (conceived without any trouble) so I would put your mind at rest

Hi I have noticed Jelly lumps in my semen, I have been to the STD CLinic and GP, i have been told that this is quite normal, is there anything i can do to get rid of the lumps? are there certain foods that are better for getting rid of this?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.



Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.



Please don't swear or be rude in your questions, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting questions. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines


More Information

  1. Episode 1 - Pelvic Floor

    In Episodes - This week’s episode includes a woman who thinks she has a gia…

  2. Dr Christian Jessen

    In Videos - Find out more about Dr Christian Jessen

  3. Quick Health Advice: Moles

    In Videos - Dr Jessen advises on the kind of mole you should be looking out for…

  4. Dr Christian Jessen

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr Christian

  5. Dr Priya Manickavasagar

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr Priya.

  6. Dr James Russell

    Doctor Info - Find out more about Dr James Russell.

  7. Retrograde Ejaculation

    In Conditions - A rarer variety of ejaculatory problem that causes retrograde ejacu…

  8. How To Check Your Skin

    In Videos - Dr Jessen provides a quick guide on how to check and protect your s…

  9. Quick Health Advice: Penis Spots

    In Videos - Dr Christian discusses how to check for penile spots and what warni…

  10. Quick Health Advice: Piles

    In Videos - Dr Jessen passes on some advice about the causes of piles and the p…

  11. We're Coming to Get You!

    In Episodes - The Docs are back, and this time they're coming to get you!

  12. Enlarged Labia

    In Conditions - Many women are born with larger or more noticeably asymmetric labia…

  13. Diabetes

    In Conditions - Diabetes affects over 2 million people in the UK alone and many mor…

  14. Sagging Breasts

    In Conditions - Everyone's boobs eventually succumb to the downward pull of gravity…

  15. Constipation

    In Conditions - Constipation is extremely common and can affect a broad range of ag…


Be On Embarrassing Bodies

If you have a medical condition that you’d like the doctors to look at then please contact the team on 0121 224 8395.
Apply for the show here >

Important Notice

The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.


If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here