How long can sperm live and what affects their viability?

The lifespan of male germ cells is a matter of concern to all who plan to conceive and those who are concerned about reliable contraception. This indicator is considered one of the most important in assessing the quality of the seminal fluid of a man and his fertility (ability to fertilize).

Spermatozoa are small moving cells of the male body, which belong to the sex cells and ensure the continuation of the human race. Sperm (this is the second name for sperm) before ejaculation is a long period of preparation. The process of development, maturation is called spermatogenesis and it lasts about 3 months. In other words, the composition of the sperm of an adult male is completely changed every three months.

The vital activity of the sperm can be divided into two periods, such as:

• interior - this is education and maturation, staying inside the man’s body;
• external - This is the existence of sperm after ejaculation in the external environment.

The boy's sperm production begins with the onset of puberty. This process lasts a lifetime until old age. Since the formation of young cells, which are the primary sperm, until their full maturation takes 90 days. If during this time does not ejaculate, germ cells die, they are replaced by new ones.

If there is no ejaculation for 20-30 days, then the adult cells also lose their vitality, mixing with young and strong ones that came as a result of the next update. That is why in the ejaculate of any healthy man there is always a proportion of sperm, lacking mobility, morphologically modified, dead. If this proportion is small, this fact in no way can prevent the independent natural conception.

New cells are produced in the testes under the influence of male sex hormones. It is no coincidence that nature has placed the male sex glands in the body, in the scrotum, because for effective spermatogenesis the temperature is needed several degrees below body temperature. Prior to ejaculation, mature sperm cells are “stored” in the epididymis, at the time of ejaculation they mix with seminal fluid and come out.

When interacting with the liquid fraction, special proton structures react and give additional acceleration to the cells. As a result, sperm cells acquire motility, activity, and theoretically can reach the egg cell. The external period of sperm life depends on the environment in which they fall.

The lifespan of cells inside the male body is 90 days for immature cells and about 30 days for mature ones. But the average life expectancy of sperm in a healthy man outside the body is about 3-5 days. Some researchers argue that sperm in favorable conditions can save life and the ability to fertilize for 7 days. In practice, the longevity of the germ cells of a man outside the body can vary from a few hours to several days, depending on the individual health characteristics.

All male reproductive cells are divided into two types: some are carriers of genetic information with the sexual X chromosome, others with the Y chromosome.

• During fertilization sperm Y a boy will be born.
• If the sperm-girl first gets to the egg cell (X-sperm)then daughter will be born.

Popular rumor attributes to sperm with a set of X a longer life expectancy than sperm of type Y. This is the basis of the conception method based on the date of ovulation.

It is believed that sexual intercourse, held a few days before the release of the egg, guarantees the birth of a girl, because only X cells will survive to ovulation. faster, but less survivable Y-sperm guarantee this.

To verify this, you do not need to have deep knowledge in the field of medicine, biology, anatomy and reproduction, it will be enough to read the reviews of women about the method of planning gender by the date of ovulation and everything will become clear.

From the scientific point of view, sperm of type X does not differ in life expectancy from sperm of type Y. Their mobility and speed are the same. The difference lies only in the sex chromosome, which will determine the sex of the child.

The exact lifespan of the male germ cells depends not only on the reproductive health of their host, but also on the specific environment in which the sperm cells enter. If the spermatozoa got into the open air, they almost immediately begin to be exposed to the external environment, which is destructive to spermatozoa. Reproductive cells die for about 15–20 minutes, light kills them, the air temperature that is lower than necessary for their vital activity, the lack of the necessary relative humidity.

At room temperature, in the absence of solar directed rays, cells can maintain their abilities for 45–60 minutes. If, after intercourse, the sperm got on underwear, clothes, then its life expectancy, even after visible drying, somewhat increases - it takes about an hour and a half, which means that A woman has a small chance of becoming pregnant by mechanically inserting sperm from underwear, clothes or hands to the external genitals.

On the female body, as well as on the penis, spermatozoa remain viable even longer - about 2–3 hours. That is why unplanned conceptions often occur during interrupted sexual intercourse, especially if a man and a woman decide to repeat it within 2-3 hours.

Inside the female body, sperm cells can exist as long as nature allows them. The life span of male germ cells in this case depends on the period of the menstrual cycle, because the conditions in the female genital tract are different in different phases.

If about a week remains before ovulation, and the next menstruation is just over, the sperm live in the vagina and uterus for no more than 2–3 hours. Increased acidity of the vagina kills most of the "zinger" almost immediately after intercourse. Such an environment is necessary for representatives of the weaker sex in order to thoroughly disinfect the genital tract after the last menstruation.

3-4 days before ovulation, acidity begins to decrease under the influence of hormones. For sperm, habitat conditions change, and they can already maintain viability in the genital tract (tubes and uterus) for up to 3-4 days. Optimal habitat inside the female body for sperm during the ovulation period.Excretions become more abundant, their acidity decreases, all this gives the sperm a chance to quickly overcome the path to the wide part of the fallopian tube.

In the second half of the cycle after the death of the egg, which is inevitable, if fertilization has not occurred, the microclimate again begins to change in the direction unfavorable to sperm. If sexual contact occurs before menstruation, spermatozoa can survive only for 4–5 hours after ejaculation.

Sex in water with an interrupted act usually does not lead to the onset of pregnancy, since getting into the aquatic environment almost immediately "demoralizes" and destroys the male sex cells. They can exist in the water for a short time - no more than 3-4 minutes, if we are talking about semen together with its liquid fractions. If you take a single sperm and place it in water, it will die within 15 seconds. This information will be especially useful for women who are afraid of getting pregnant when visiting the pool, because people have a completely erroneous view that sperm that accidentally got into the water can cause pregnancy in a woman who is also in the water.

In a condom, male sex cells can survive up to an hour. True, the contraceptive must be medical, devoid of lubricants and additives. If the condom contains spermicidal lubricants, the sperm in it die within a short time - from 2 to 5 minutes. That is why it is not recommended to collect sperm in a condom before you pass it on spermogram.

If a man wants to collect material for analysis at home by conducting an interrupted sexual intercourse, which is much more comfortable than masturbation in a medical office, he will be given a medical condom. Biological material immediately after ejaculation will need to be poured into a special sterile container and within an hour to deliver to the laboratory.

The viability of sperm cells is higher than that of the female egg, and it is largely due to this quality of the germ cells that a man and a woman have chances to conceive a child not one day per month, but for 4–5 days. The egg cell lives just over a day, after which it cannot be fertilized. But "prudent" sperm can wait for the egg to exit the follicle, already in the fallopian tube. In itself, conception occurs only during the period of ovulation, but the vitality of male cells can provide fertilization almost immediately after ovulation.

If unprotected sexual intercourse is performed on the day of ovulation or within a day from the moment the eggs are released, conception can occur only after the male sex cells reach the goal. From the moment they enter the vagina, the spermatozoa begin to move along the genital tract, overcome the cervix, the cavity, and enter the fallopian tubes. They need about half an hour on this way. Then it will take about another hour to “pierce” the dense shell of the egg. This can be done only one of the tens of millions of sperm.

Sometimes the cause of marital infertility is precisely the short lifespan of the male germ cells, which does not allow them not only to “watch for” the egg several days before ovulation, but it also does not allow it to reach ejaculation on the day of ovulation.

In case of infertility, a man and a woman are recommended to be examined during a year. Spermogram with great accuracy will show how viable male sex cells. If necessary, additional diagnostics and treatment will be prescribed.

Factors that affect the ability of sperm to a longer existence with a chance of fertilization, are divided into external and internal. The life span of cells is affected by the general health of a man and his reproductive health. In a man who is sick with influenza or ARVI, germ cells are less active and live about 2-3 times less.

If a man takes antibiotics, is treated with hormones or takes steroid hormones as part of sports training, not only the number of viable cells decreases dramatically as part of his seminal fluid, but more mutated sperm cells appear that are not able to reach the egg or can lead to conception of a baby with severe chromosomal pathologies.

Smoking, systematic use of alcohol, work in hazardous production (with nitrates, heavy metal salts, alkaline compounds, varnishes and paints), hard physical labor, constant stress, unhealthy diet, lack of sleep reduce such an indicator as the viability of germ cells. More viable sperm in men who live in ecologically clean regions, do not have problems with being overweight.

Non-viable sperm cells can occur in men, suffering from sexually transmitted diseases, hidden and obvious sexually transmitted infections, inflammatory diseases (prostatitis, epididymitis), as well as those with pathologies requiring surgical intervention (varicocele).

If a woman is healthy, she has no problems with metabolism, hormonal background, there is no increased vaginal acidity and imbalance of the microflora of the vagina, the sperm have every chance to survive for a longer time inside her body. Douching before sexual intercourse reduces the chances of long life in male germ cells by about 70%. Douching done after the act increases sperm mortality by 95%. The use of intimate lubricants and gels during sexual intercourse mostly reduces the motility of male cells and reduces their lifespan by 3-4 times.

The use of intimate lubricants and gels during sexual intercourse mostly reduces the motility of male cells and reduces their lifespan by 3-4 times. The use of antibiotics and hormonal preparations by a woman (if it is not about female genital hormones) is reflected in the microflora of her genital tract. Getting into them, sperm die faster.

If a woman has a fever at the time of intercourse, the chances of conception are reduced by 5 times, since most male cells die when they enter her body for 15–20 minutes.

For information on what factors affect the viability of sperm, see the next video.