How many sperm live? This question should be asked by a woman at least once if her method of contraception depends on the cycle, or if she wants to become a mother. This question is also asked by men when they are planning or not paternity. How many days sperm live - this is the main indicator of the ability to fertilize them, and the criterion on which the happiness of motherhood and fatherhood depends. When the family does not wait for the desired stork to visit, all the facts regarding the options for conception and increasing its likelihood become decisive. And with proper and responsible planning, the result will not be long in coming.
Fateful meeting
For the success of conception, a meeting of the sperm and the egg is necessary - this is known to everyone. And so that it takes place, it is not superfluous to find out how many sperm and eggs live. An egg that does not leave the woman’s body lives from 12 to 48 hours. Its ability to fertilize is maximum during ovulation - exit from the ovarian follicle. But with the sperm that leave the body of a man and must pass through the genital tract of a woman, it's not so simple.
What is sperm
In the testicles and their appendages of a mature man, spermatozoa and the hormone testosterone are formed during spermatogenesis, and seminal fluid is produced in the prostate gland. When mixed, seminal fluid and sperm form sperm, which is secreted during ejaculation. Its one-time volume is about 5 milliliters, which contain up to 200 million sperm.
Each sperm consists of a head, where the nucleus with a half set of chromosomes is located, an intermediate part (neck), in which there is a spiral thread and mitochondria and a flagellum, thanks to which it becomes mobile and provides a speed of movement in the female genital tract of up to 30 cm / hour. Sperm sizes are 50-60 micrometers. Sperm formation lasts about 72 days - that’s how much sperm live in a man’s body. If ejaculation does not occur, sperm cells die, and new ones come in their place. But after ejaculation for them, everything changes.
How many sperm live in a woman’s body
From the moment sperm enter the female genital tract, many factors affect their lifespan.
Sperm cells have a maximum of 2 hours to pass through the vagina with its acidic environment (pH from 3.8 to 4.4) - this is how many sperm live in the vagina. For those lucky ones who manage to overcome this barrier, a grace period of life begins in the cervix. Here they enter the cervical mucus, the acidic environment of which at the time of ovulation is almost the same as that of sperm. In this environment, they can live from 3 to 8 days, gradually approaching through the uterus to the fallopian tubes. That is where the same meeting should take place. After ovulation, the cervical fluid changes - it becomes more viscous and more acidic, which reduces sperm motility. That is why sperm that fall into the cervix before ovulation will live longer than those that got there after. Up to 8 days - this is how much sperm live in a woman’s uterus and fallopian tubes. But this is not a fact.
Health is the foundation of a favorable conception
Other factors influence how much sperm live in the female body. Inflammatory processes in the vagina accelerate their death, which change the acidity and create intolerable conditions for sperm. The presence of chlamydia also adversely affects how long the sperm is alive. Exotoxins that secrete chlamydia and many other microorganisms significantly shorten the life of sperm or lead to their death.
The condition of the male body (its general physical health, the presence of chronic diseases, bad habits, and genital tract infections) also affects how many days sperm live. In addition to the presence of various kinds of infections in the genital tract, the life span of sperm is affected by temperature. For lovers of saunas and baths, their activity and vitality drops sharply. The optimal temperature regime for the development of full sperm is 34-37 degrees. A temperature below +4 degrees completely eliminates the possibility of conception.
Outside the body
Is it realistic to get pregnant using sheets or a towel stained with sperm, and how long do sperm live in the environment?
The main component of the ejaculate is, along with sperm, the secret of the prostate gland, seminal vesicles and urethral glands. This secret contains a whole complex of biologically active substances that protect sperm from the immune response of a woman's body. Indeed, in fact, sperm are foreign cells for the female body, from which he tries to get rid. In addition, this secret also contains substances that are necessary for the sperm to maintain viability and provide it with energy for movement. Having lost this secret, sperm remain defenseless and die quickly.
In the "open" air, seminal fluid evaporates and sperm die. At best, this process takes three hours. Therefore, the likelihood of becoming pregnant with a woman with this scenario is simply very small.
If the ejaculate enters the water, then there it dissolves. How many sperm live in water? Not more than 10 minutes in the composition of the ejaculate, and a single sperm will die in the aquatic environment immediately.
But on the penis, sperm can remain viable for up to half an hour. This fact should be considered during repeated sexual contacts.
What about condoms?
If you do not plan to become a father, we advise you to get rid of used condoms on your own. As part of the ejaculate in a condom, sperm live. How many? The answer to this question is controversial. But certainly not more than half an hour.
Of course, if condoms do not contain spermicidal lubricant - the composition that leads to their instant death.
In vitro, with the use of fast-freezing technology, sperm can remain viable for an unlimited time. All modern laboratory experiments on sperm thawing have yielded results on the viability of not all but part of the sperm.
There is only one way to get pregnant
Fertilization of the egg by sperm can occur only in the genital tract of a woman (in vitro fertilization, we do not consider this article). And such a gamete meeting is possible only with the traditional sexual intercourse between heterosexual partners. If it works out differently, you can count on getting the Nobel Prize.
The Internet is replete with data on the possibility of pregnancy with oral sex. Do not believe it - it is impossible biologically. And we have already sufficiently substantiated this by providing data on how many sperm live in a woman.
And how much will your sperm live
Want to know how much your partner’s sperm live? In this case, the man must pass the sperm for analysis, which is called a spermogram. This analysis will help establish how much young and mature sperm are contained in the ejaculate at a given time, and what is the degree of their motility. In addition, he will show their density in a unit of ejaculate and indicate how many sperm live in the body of this particular man. According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, normally the acid indicator of the ejaculate should be at least 7.2 pH, and viable and motile sperm in it should be at least 50%. But do not rush to be upset if the spermogram showed not the most satisfactory results. Stresses, overwork, bad habits and other easily removable factors may well change the indicators.
Boy or girl?
How many proverbs are there about the mandatory birth of a male heir. Does how much sperm live on the sex of the child?
According to statistics, approximately the same number of infants of both sexes is born with a slight margin in favor of boys. But the point of view of biology should be exactly the opposite. The fact is that the life of sperm directly depends on the genetic composition of the hereditary material. If it contains the X chromosome, which after fertilization of the egg will lead to the formation of a female fetus, then its life span is approximately 72 hours. If sperm contains the U-chromosome, which is responsible for the formation of the boy, then his life span is only 24 hours.
It is precisely on these data that the assumptions are based that if you want a girl, then you should engage in her conception three days before ovulation. If you want a son, then his conception is more likely on the day of ovulation in a woman.
However, it also happens that there are certain genetic characteristics of sperm, as a result of which only one type has an advantage. This explains why, from some men, only boys or only girls are born.
Quantity affects quality
The number of sperm involved in the race for the egg also matters. The more of them, the greater the likelihood that at least one will overcome all obstacles and fertilize the egg. In addition, many, as we recall, can remain viable in the uterus and fallopian tubes for a long time. And if they got there before ovulation, they can wait for the long-awaited meeting. In this vein, experts advise couples planning a pregnancy to have sex every other day. Thus, viable sperm in the uterus will be constantly updated and increase the likelihood of conception. At the same time, you should not overdo it. With daily release of sperm, the number of young or unripe sperm that are not capable of a long marathon increases in the ejaculate.
But that's not all
All the figures given in relation to how many sperm live are an average norm. The problem of reproductive health of men today is no less important than the same problem in women. In order to solve it, new medicines and vitamin complexes are appearing aimed at increasing male productivity. They necessarily include vitamin E (it is found in nuts, seeds, spinach, herbs and dried apricots) and vitamin C (a lot of it is in gooseberries, kiwi, citrus fruits, cauliflower, broccoli, bell pepper and viburnum).
Fructose has a positive effect on the lifespan of sperm . That is why men planning to conceive, it is recommended to eat more sweet and thus increase the fructose content in seminal fluid. It is also believed that chives and various greens also positively affect sperm quality and increase the likelihood of conception.
Omens and traditions
There are a lot of folk recipes to increase the likelihood of conception on the Internet. Choose the one that is right for you. And remember: measure is important in any business. If you experience unpleasant sensations, allergic reactions, or signs of poisoning, you must stop taking the drug and consult a doctor.
As for traditions and rituals, the concept of “honeymoon” did not appear by chance. It was the barrel of honey presented to the wedding, which the newlyweds were supposed to empty in a month, was a good sign of the appearance of an imminent heir. And also in Russia, in Ancient Rome, Persia and India this month was strictly forbidden to accept alcoholic drinks by the newlyweds.
In the traditions of many peoples, the newlyweds were prescribed to eat a lot of fish. And not in vain. Phosphorus, which is contained in seafood, has a beneficial effect on the formation of mitochondria - the main energy batteries that sperm need to achieve their cherished goal - the egg.