Last updated on August 9, 2020
Question
Hi. I’m a 17-year-old Christian.
I have these little yellow bumps on my penis, and I was wondering are they an STD? I have never had sex, but I heard you can be born with an STD.
What are these?
Answer
While it is possible for a sexually transmitted disease to be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, such a disease is usually found at birth and treated at that time. To discover an STD after so many years would be difficult to imagine.
Generally, yellow-colored bumps point to the oil glands (called the sebaceous glands by doctors). They are called “Fordyce spots.” What you are seeing is your oil glands through your skin. The yellow color comes from the oil within the glands. You can see them more easily on the shaft of your penis than elsewhere on your body because the skin is very thin on your penis. Fordyce spots cause no harm.