Mother and Baby

7 need-to-know facts about sperm if you're TTC

Section: trending

Without sperm, the world would be a very lonely place. Sperm is one of the most amazing things our bodies create, and even they need to be protected...

Learn about the weird and wonderful qualities you probably didn't know about sperm. 

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1) Everyday things can damage men's sperm

Staying up too late, drinking and smoking are just some of the habits that can damage men's sperm. Research has linked heavier drinking, nicotine, and not getting enough sleep to lower testosterone levels, lower sperm counts, and smaller numbers of healthy sperm. 
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2) This is how much sperm a man produces in their lifetime

Men can produce 80 to 300 million sperm per ejaculation! 95 percent of men produce around 2 trillion of the swimmers per lifetime, and out of those 2 trillion, they ejaculate something like 700 billion sperm. 
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3) Sperm wear hard hats

The hat that they refer to is called the acrosome. It contains strong chemicals that are released once the sperm attaches to the egg. The chemicals are so strong that they melt the egg's outer surface, drills a hole, and the sperm can then penetrate the egg. 
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4) Dead sperm can be used for IVF

The only thing that matters is the DNA inside the sperm, alive or not. When IVF technicians insert a single sperm inside an egg, they sometimes beat the sperm with the glass until it stops moving. 
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5) Sperm can live inside a woman for days

A sperm cell can live in a female's body up to five days once they have made it inside.
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6) One is enough

If a guy loses one testicle, it doesn't mean game over. They can still conceive naturally. The one testicle alone will be able to make enough sperm to create a baby and often grows a bit so there is enough sperm output.
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7) Sperm and semen are not the same

Sperm is the reproductive cell that looks like a tadpole. The seminal fluid is the stuff that the sperm swims in. Seminal fluid is alkaline, so it reduces the acidity sperm experiences in the female reproductive system. And, gives the sperm the energy they need for their swim. Together, the sperm and seminal fluid form semen which carries the sperm to the egg. 

Read more: 

The 9 benefits of sex during pregnancy

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