15 Extraordinary Facts About Sperm

Here are some scientific facts and random trivia about these amazing little wrigglers. 

In the words of Monty Python, "Every sperm is sacred. Every sperm is great. If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate." 

Some people use the terms sperm and semen interchangeably but they are not the same thing. Sperm, or more correctly spermatozoa, is the microscopic male reproduction cell which we rely on for life on earth to continue. Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is an organic fluid emitted during ejaculation which typically contains millions of sperm but also secretions from the male reproductive organs.  

1. The average male will produce roughly 525 billion sperm cells over a lifetime and shed at least one billion cells every month. A healthy adult male can release between 40 million and 1.2 billion sperm cells in a single ejaculation. Men produce sperm every day of their lives but full sperm regeneration takes 64 days for them to fully mature.
2. Sperm cells can swim 18-20cm in an hour. That's a whole lot faster than it sounds considering they are too tiny to see with the human eye at only 0.05mm long from head to tail. But a vagina is also like a swim coach. The pulsating motion of the vaginal walls during orgasm help move sperm upstream into the cervix. The speed at which sperm swim vary from species to species. The more sexual partners a female has, the more competitive the sperm become and the faster they feel they need to swim in order to fertilise that elusive egg. 
3. What sperm lack in size they more than make up in sheer numbers. If you could line up all the sperm from one ejaculate end to end, the line would measure 9.6km. That’s a lot of sperm!
4. Sperm can live for several minutes or several days depending on the environment. Most sperm die within minutes of ejaculation inside the vagina, however once the sperm enters the woman’s cervix or uterus, some sperm cells can survive for up to 5 days although most will die within 48 hours. 
5. Sperm can struggle to swim in a straight line. They rely on their tiny tail, smaller than the width of a human hair, to get through a reproductive obstacle course with 200 million to one odds. Apparently it's not that they’re bad swimmers but  the viscosity of semen and vaginal fluids can trap them in a circular loop which their tails are ill-equipped to escape.
6. As many as 12% of women may be allergic to semen. Doctors often misdiagnose the symptoms because of their similarity with other conditions such as dermatitis and some STIs. Australian scientists believe this sensitivity could be a factor in another debilitating condition - endometriosis. 
7. Sperm also contains spermine, a crystalline polyamine compound which is an antioxidant.  The claims are that it can diminish wrinkles, smooth skin and help with preventing acne. It’s believed to be 30 times more effective than Vitamin E and can delay the aging process by 20%. A Norwegian company has created a facial cream containing the compounds and there are even spas in New York City where you can get a spermine facial. We wonder if this is where the word “facial” originated?
8. Sperm count, motility and viability can all be adversely affected by lifestyle and factors as wide ranging as the underwear you wear, Wi-Fi usage or alcohol consumption. Eating too much junk food, processed meats, and dairy or having an insufficient intake of fresh fruit and veggies can also affect sperm quality. Click through to read more about changing your lifestyle to improve your sexual health.
9. Pre-ejaculate is kinda like your wingman. It lubricates the sperm that follows to make things smoother and it neutralises the acidic environment in the vagina which would otherwise neutralise or kill the sperm within minutes. 
10. Although we wouldn’t recommend substituting it for your regular toothpaste, semen contains trace amounts of calcium and zinc which have both been proven to prevent tooth decay.  But before you reach for your toothbrush you have to swallow it, not apply it. Does that explain those pearly whites on pornstars? 
11. A study by researchers at State University of New York found that ingesting sperm, yep actually swallowing it, (from the father of the foetus) could help a woman suffering from morning sickness. So it looks like a blow job a day keeps the morning sickness at bay. 
12. Another study published in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour found that women directly exposed to semen were less likely to be depressed as the hormones found in semen can be absorbed through the vagina. Sperm contains cortisol which helps increase affection, as well as oxytocin and estrone which help with mood elevation. Researchers say that sperm also contains a hormone that releases the natural antidepressants, thyrotropin, melatonin which aids with sleep, and even serotonin.
13. Sex can help you sleep better and one of the reasons is that semen contains melatonin, the chemical that induces sleep and relaxation. It doesn’t matter if you swallow it or it’s absorbed through the vaginal walls, it will enter your bloodstream and help you doze off for a good night’s sleep.
14. Sperm cells were discovered in 1677 by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a self taught Dutch scientist who developed an interest in lensmaking and is referred to as the “Father of Microbiology”. He was the first to document microscopic observation of spermatozoa (apparently his own) through letters to the Royal Society of London.
15. Budding spies should note that during World War I, the British Intelligence Service (MI6) discovered semen could be used as invisible ink. Unlike other chemicals semen did not react to means of detection such as iodine vapor.