Appearance of the sperm

The colour of the semen is important. A normal sample has a greyish appearance and is opalaescent. A yellow colour may indicate the presence of leucocytes (white cells), a sign of infection. Other causes of yellow semen are increased length of abstinence or taking too many B vitamins. A brownish tinge is unusual and indicates blood in the sperm, another indicator of infection. It is important that sperm infections are identified and dealt with straight away as they can impair sperm function and lead to further fertility problems.

A course of the right antibiotics will usually sort this out and allow you to conceive successfully, either naturally if this was the only problem that was getting in your way, or through assisted fertility treatment, if other adverse factors are also at play.