Reproduction 101 tells us that we require an egg and a sperm to make a tiny human. Yet, a surprising number of couples that are actively trying to get pregnant seem to be concerned only with the health of a woman’s eggs.
Here’s a newsflash for you: close to 65% of fertility issues faced by a couple arise due to the poor quality of sperm. Additionally, roughly 85% of miscarriages are linked to the man’s swimmers.
Surprised, aren’t you?
Well, the fun doesn’t end here. Read on to discover 10 more shocking sperm secrets that they never bothered teaching you in sex ed classes.
1. Sperm Can Help Prevent Depression In Women
Studies indicate that women who indulge in unprotected sex (which, FYI, I do not advocate unless you’re in a healthy, stable relationship) or oral sex are usually less likely to succumb to depression (1).
Researchers hypothesize this may be due to the fact that sperm helps raise prostaglandin, oxytocin and serotonin levels (read: happy hormones), which lead to stronger immunity, healthier moods, and just an overall happier you.
2. Sperm Can Help Boost Fertility
Your man’s semen isn’t just a vehicle for transporting sperm. According to science, it’s also involved in triggering the release of your egg from your ovaries. A recent study discovered that the proteins in semen could act like a hormonal signal for the female brain that stimulates ovulation (2).
3. A Majority Of Sperm Is Abnormal
Human beings actually aren’t that great at making sperm. Actually, they pretty much suck at it. Over 90% of sperm in any given ejaculation is malformed. That doesn’t mean a man is infertile, though; it’s pretty normal (3).
4. Sperm Can Aid In Implanting The Embryo
Many couples are discouraged from having more sex post an IVF treatment. However, studies indicate that semen, via several hormones and chemicals, can actually assist in the implantation of your embryo in the womb (4). So ignore all that well-intentioned BS and just listen to science, people!
5. Sperms Have Bodyguards
It’s only a minuscule 5% of semen that actually constitutes sperm. Additionally, sperm cells only carry half the DNA as other cells residing in the male body. All of this makes the sperm appear rather suspicious to the immune system, which is why semen contains specialized bodyguard cells that protect the sperms by building a barrier that shields them from aggressive immune cells.
6. Sperm Does NOT Last For Days
Once a man ejaculates into a woman, out of the 300 to 500 million sperms that are released, only roughly 5-10 sperm cells manage to survive the journey into the fallopian tubes, where coincidentally, more than half of those promptly die.
Cause of death? Acids, the female immune system, getting lost… the list goes on (5). Some sperms can survive up to a whopping 5 days, but this is very rare.
7. Sperm Is Used In Cooking
I kid you not. There are cooking books available in the market with recipes that use semen as an ingredient. One particular gem, Natural Harvest – A Collection of Semen-Based Recipes, describes semen as, “not only nutritious, but it also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties. Like fine wine and cheeses, the taste of semen is complex and dynamic (6).”
Yikes.
8. Saving Up On Sperm Doesn’t Make It Better
Research actually indicates that regular ejaculation can help improve the quality of sperm and the subsequent transport of the seminal fluid. Furthermore, regular ejaculation decreases the risk of prostate cancer (7).
9. Sperm Factories Don’t Have An Expiry
Women are born with a limited number of eggs, and by the age of 30, we’re left with roughly 1/8th of that number. Men, on the other hand, can keep producing sperms throughout their lives. The quality of the sperm may decline with age. However, the production and viability never stops (8). Case in point, Charlie Chaplin fathered his youngest son Christopher James in 1962, at the ripe old age of 73.
Like, wow.
10. Sperm Is Good For The Skin
Yep. Sperm is rich in vitamin C, zinc, prostaglandins, amino acids, and collagen, which have many skin benefits. In fact, so intriguing is this discovery that a Norwegian company by the name of Bioforskning actually decided to make a business out of it! They’ve incorporated all these compounds into a facial cream affectionately named as ‘Spermine’.
I know, oh-so-tempting (read: sarcasm).
Bioforskning claims that Spermine (was I the only one who cringed?) has 30 times the power of vitamin E and can successfully delay skin aging by 20%. Nature’s facial cream, however, is being sold for a whopping $250 online. I’d actually pay to watch them market and promote that at Big Bazaar.
There you have it – 10 sperm facts that you probably didn’t need, but hey, you sure did enjoy learning. Makes for a more interesting life, I must say. Keep smiling!