2023-10-20 18:10:00
What is a sperm?
It’s a male gamete produced in the seminiferous tubules located in the testes. Its equivalent in women is the oocyte.
Son cycle de production
” It is necessary to count regarding 70 days so that the germinal stem cells (or spermatogony) multiply and transform into spermatocytes, then into spermatids and finally, into spermatozoa,” explains Milène Leroy, sexologist. She adds: “This production process begins at puberty and, unlike a woman’s cycle, continues throughout a man’s life. »
From sperm to semen
Once these different stages of production have passed, the spermatozoa are ready for fertilization. They are then stored in reservoirs called seminal vesicles. At this moment, “the sperm measures 0.003 mm wide and 0.06 mm long and includes three parts,” specifies the IVI website, clinics specializing in assisted procreation techniques (source 1). Its composition is as follows:
- the head containing a haploid nucleus (composed of 23 chromosomes) and the acrosome (containing the enzymes necessary to cross the envelope of the oocyte during fertilization);
- the intermediate piece (containing numerous mitochondria which provide the energy necessary for movement).
- the flagellum (locomotor organ which propels and directs the sperm towards the oocyte).
” It’s only during ejaculation that the sperm will mix with the seminal fluid, coming from the prostate and other glands of the male organs (epididymis and seminal vesicles). We then talk regarding sperm,” continues the sexologist. The latter consists of approximately 20% sperm and 80% fluid.
How many sperm are in an ejaculation?
“Sperm from a single ejaculation contains between 20 million and 200 million sperm,” explains Milène Leroy.
How long does it take for the sperm to reach the egg?
“Knowing that the general rate of sperm is 3 mm per minute, we can therefore imagine that it takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour for them to arrive in the woman’s uterine area,” notes the sexologist. And despite the high number of sperm, only one of them will be able to fertilize the oocyte.
How long do sperm live?
Their duration really depends on the conditions in which they find themselves. They can just as easily die in minutes as survive for days. Below are the details.
How long do sperm survive in a man’s body?
The lifespan of sperm in the male body isregarding 30 days. If they are not expelled during ejaculation, they remain stored in the testicles.
Can sperm live in the open air and for how long?
In the open air, the lifespan of a sperm is only a few seconds to thirty minutes maximum.
The seminal fluid dries very quickly and in these conditions the sperm cannot survive. Milène Leroy, sexologist.
How long do sperm live in a woman’s body?
When they are propelled into the female genital tract, their lifespan is two days at most. However, some of them can “survive” up to 5 days intravaginally following unprotected sex.
Can they survive in water?
Sperm need moisture and warmth to survive. “However, even if the water temperature were close to body temperature, the water would disperse the sperm and separate them from the protective fluids contained in the semen,” recalls the Clearblue website (source 2). It is therefore very unlikely that a woman can become pregnant from sperm found in water. Additionally, any soap or chemicals (like chlorine) in the water kill sperm.
How long do sperm survive when frozen?
Sperm can survive for several decades when frozen with liquid nitrogen (at an average temperature of -196°C). But in reality, sperm can survive indefinitely if stored in a sperm bank. Still according to the Clearblue website (source 2), “these delays are due more to legal reasons in the countries than to any expiration date for frozen spermatozoa”.
How to improve sperm health?
Even if the conditions for successfully having a baby are numerous, improving the quality of sperm can be a criterion for success. Here are some principles.
- Maintain a cool temperature : “the temperature of the testicles must be lower than or equal to that of the body in order to provide the sperm with optimal conditions,” specifies the sexologist. Wearing loose-fitting underwear such as boxers and/or taking regular breaks outside, if you work in a closed environment, can help.
- Stop smoking : smoking can indeed reduce fertility.
- Reduce your alcohol consumption : just like smoking, regular or even excessive alcohol consumption can affect the quality of sperm, like that of sexuality in general.
- Take advice from your general practitioner : certain medications can affect fertility, so it is a good idea to talk to your healthcare professional to rule out certain incompatibilities with pregnancy.
- Make healthy choices : having a balanced diet and maintaining daily physical activity (unless there are specific medical contraindications) can help maintain a healthy weight and indirectly, lower the level of stress, which is harmful to fertility.
- Have an active sexuality : “It is said that to have good prostate sexual health, a man must have on average 21 ejaculations per month,” adds Milène Leroy.
As a man ages, sperm count and quality tend to decrease.
How to diagnose sperm disorders?
Different sperm disorders can cause abnormalities in the quality and quantity of sperm, or even the total absence of sperm emission. To diagnose these disorders, the specialist in reproductive medicine or fertility disorders uses a spermogram; a medical biology exam allowing data to be collected on semen and spermatozoa: volume, pH, sperm concentration, round cells, sperm mobility, sperm vitality and even sperm morphology (source 1).
To be judged satisfactory, the ejaculate must, for example, contain more than 39 million spermatozoa. at least a third of which must be in progress and at least 4% in normal shape.
“The opposite cases will perhaps reveal spermatic disorders such as azoospermie (absence of spermatozoa in the ejaculate), oligospermie (spermatozoa are present, but their number is insufficient) or a asthenospermia or asthenozoospermia (spermatozoa have a short lifespan and are not very mobile),” specifies the sexologist. If in doubt, do not hesitate to seek medical advice.
In short, and however small they may be, spermatozoa have an essential function in the vitality of a man who is far from being small.
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