Semen stains on fabrics may become permanent if washed in temperatures above a certain point. Higher temperatures will coagulate the protein in semen, and this can set it into the fibers of the fabric.
If you or your partner ejaculate yellow cum, don’t panic. This isn’t usually a sign of an infection or STIs, Registered Nurse Rachel Nall writes for Medical News Today.
Yellow
When sperm stain fabric, it looks like a small wet spot that can vary in color from off-white or pale yellow to grayish white. It can also be sticky and have a distinct smell. If it’s left to dry, a sperm stain will feel stiff and have a crunchy texture.
In a laboratory setting, sperm is typically viewed under a microscope using different staining methods. KEYENCE’s All-in-One Fluorescence Microscope BZ-X800 can use Christmas tree staining to clearly differentiate the acrosomal part of sperm heads (light color) and their tails (dark color).
It’s important to wash a sperm stain as soon as possible because it can set into fabric fibers, leading to a crusty residue that can be difficult to remove. Using cold water and a mild detergent can help prevent this from occurring. Alternatively, you can also use enzyme cleaners or hydrogen peroxide to treat the stain. This will lighten the stain without causing any damage to the fabric.
Green
There are several reasons why sperm may appear to be a yellowish-green color. One reason is blood in the semen (leukocytospermia). Blood can cause a yellowish tint to the semen, and it can also indicate the presence of sexually transmitted diseases such as genital herpes, chlamydia, or gonorrhea.
Another possibility is a condition known as pyospermia, which occurs when too many white blood cells are present in the semen. Pyospermia can also cause a yellowish color to the semen.
A test to determine if a stain on fabric is semen involves shining a blacklight on it. If the stain glows brightly, it is likely semen. Dried sperm stains on clothing or bedsheets can be treated with upholstery-grade stain remover or enzymatic pre-treatment cleaner, which can break down proteins that stain fabrics.
Another way to test for sperm is by examining the acrosome and nucleus under a microscope. Different staining methods can produce different results for the acrosome and nucleus, so it’s important to know which sperm staining method you’re using when analyzing a sample.
Red
If your semen is a brownish or red color, it may be caused by Leukocytospermia, which happens when the white blood cells in your semen damage the sperm. It can also be a sign of sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia or genital herpes. If this happens, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible.
However, this change in color doesn’t always indicate a serious problem with your health or fertility. In some cases, it could be a sign that you have some traces of urine in your semen. This can happen if you have sex shortly after peeing or if you ate food that is high in sulfur, like onions and garlic.
Dried sperm can look gray, light yellow or off-white, and they usually glow under a black light. Dried sperm can also stain fabrics, but it is typically easy to remove with a little effort and some stain remover. Other bodily fluids, including sweat, saliva and vaginal secretions, also light up under a black light, but they are often more difficult to remove from fabric.
Blue
When sperm comes into contact with a fabric like sheets, clothes or bedding it will often cause a stain that is typically whitish in color and has a distinct smell. It is important to try to remove these stains as quickly as possible as the longer they sit on fabrics, the more difficult it can be to get them off.
Old semen can stain blue or yellow in some cases as it dries on fabrics. This happens because unused semen will become saturated with proteins and other cellular debris, which can cause them to change color over time. This is also true of spilled blood that dries on fabrics. Spilled blood will often turn darker as it dries because the hemoglobin breaks down into a compound called methemoglobin.
To detect if semen is still alive, a sperm cell count can be performed using a blood smear test. This involves using a mixture of reagents to stain the spermatozoa in different colors, including Picroindigocarmine and Nuclear Fast Red. This technique records the number of dead spermatozoa and also identifies if the acrosomal cap (heads) of the sperm are intact or not.
Gray
Dried sperm stains typically appear gray, off-white or light yellow in color. It is important to note that this color variation may not always be indicative of a problem with a man’s semen. It can simply depend on the staining technique used and the overall health of the sperm.
The morphological characteristics of sperm are characterized by their vermiform shape, making them difficult to evaluate with the many different slide preparation and staining methods currently available. In particular, the boundary between acrosome and nucleus is difficult to determine with most smear staining techniques.
Several studies have shown that the staining method and slide preparation procedure used unquestionably influence the results of sperm morphological assessment. This phenomenon results in significant variations between sperm morphometric values that are not due to the species or individual of the specimen or to the laboratory. Consequently, very precise guidelines for handling smear slides with seminal fluid are required to avoid the occurrence of such discrepancies.
