truth behind a few common myths about sperm and semen.
MYTH: You can't get pregnant from pre-ejaculate or "pre-cum."
Pre-ejaculate can contain sperm. Stefan Malloch/Shutterstock
Most of the time, pre-ejaculate - the semen-like fluid that sometimes comes out of a penis before ejaculation - is just a lubricating substance produced by the prostate. However, there is a small chance that it might contain enough viable sperm to result in a pregnancy.
"There is always the chance that there are some sperm present in the pre-ejaculate, especially if someone masturbated briefly before sexual intercourse as part of foreplay. Technically, anything that is being produced as part of ejaculate could include some cells of sperm," Dr. Sendler told INSIDER.
If you're concerned with avoiding pregnancy, using a barrier method like a condom is always a good idea.
MYTH: Semen has a high nutritional content if swallowed.
Semen has fructose but you won't get any nutritional benefits. Shutterstock/Image Point Fr
Sorry - semen isn't a good replacement for your daily multivitamin.
"It has a lot of fructose, which nourishes sperm. But don't count on getting full of energy after swallowing anyone's load. Our stomach acid will effectively burn up the relatively tiny nutritional value of the ejaculate," said Dr. Sendler.
Though a healthy diet has been shown to improve semen quality, consuming semen itself won't have much of an impact on your nutrition.
MYTH: Sperm can live for days on items like sheets, towels, and underwear.
Sperm can live inside the body for five days, but can't survive outside the body. Shutterstock
Sperm can't normally live on clothing, skin, and other surfaces for longer than a few moments. When semen dries or is exposed to extreme temperatures, the ability for the sperm in that semen to fertilize an egg diminishes significantly.
"Some people believe that laying in bed where a man ejaculated before could make them pregnant — that's not true at all. The sperm needs to be present inside of the woman, freshly after being ejaculated from the penis to successfully cause pregnancy," Dr. Sendler stated.
However, sperm can live inside the uterus for up to five days. This is why it's technically possible to get pregnant as a result of unprotected sex during menstruation.
MYTH: Sperm quality stays the same for a person's entire life.
Sperm quality changes as you age. Shutterstock
It's true that people with male reproductive organs can usually keep having children as long as they are able to produce sperm. However, that doesn't mean that the quality of that sperm won't change over the years.
"Though men continue to make fresh sperm cells each day until they die, we know from research evidence that because of the aging process, the genetic machinery to fix sperm cells that are defective decreases," said Dr. Sendler.
This means that the quality of sperm tends to decrease with age. Dr. Sendler noted that this is why people with penises who over 50 have a greater chance of having children with genetic abnormalities or disorders. There is also some evidence that the risk of miscarriage may increase with paternal age.
MYTH: The foods you eat don't affect your semen.
Eating healthy can help you sperm. Flickr/Sonny Abesamis
Maintaining a healthy diet is great for your overall health, but eating well may also help keep your sperm in good shape.
"Poor diet could make sperm 'less viable,' meaning it doesn't swim as fast as it should because it doesn't get enough source of fuel to produce energy," Dr. Sendler said.
And what about the idea that eating certain foods will make your semen taste different? Dr. Sendler relayed that there's actually some truth to this.
"There can be variability in taste depending on what we eat. But this change in taste will rarely be noticeable for most people," he noted.
MYTH: The amount of semen produced correlates with how much the person enjoyed sex.
The amount of ejaculation doesn't correlate with the quality of sex. trumzz/ iStock
There's a common misconception that when someone produces a small amount of semen after ejaculating, they didn't find the sex very pleasurable. Similarly, some people think that witnessing their partner produce a large amount of semen means that the sex was amazing.
According to Dr. Sendler, this isn't really the case. Though there are people who just produce less semen - and that's totally normal for them - a small volume of semen usually means that ejaculation occurred before there was enough time and stimulation for the glands to build up a greater volume of semen.
"The key is abortive stimulation, where the male is almost ready to ejaculate but doesn't allow it. Over a span of several such events, the amount of semen, excitation, and pressure of propulsion all build up, creating that perfect fountain of ejaculate."
The takeaway: if you're concerned about your semen volume, slow stimulation and delaying ejaculation will likely do the trick.
MYTH: Sperm swims straight towards the egg.
Sperm moves all around on the way to the egg. Shutterstock
The prime directive of a sperm cell is to speed its way towards an egg as fast as it can, but sperm doesn't actually swim in a straight line. Instead, they usually take a more roundabout route to the finish line.
"Sperm cells like to swim around in a wiggling motion. The tail of the sperm keeps wagging forcefully like dog's tail, which throws off its direction of movement all the time," said Dr. Sendler.
He explained that this erratic motion actually creates competition between all the different sperm cells, meaning that the fastest one to arrive at the egg first, despite all the wriggling, gets to fertilize it.
MYTH: Having thicker semen means you're more fertile.
The thickness of the semen doesn't indicate the sperm count in it. George Rudy/Shutterstock
The consistency of semen doesn't necessarily indicate anything about the fertility of the person producing it. Though some people may be concerned about having thinner or more watery semen, the thickness of ejaculate doesn't usually say anything about someone's ability to have children.
"Thickness results from a lot of different factors, but primarily the length of stimulation. If we use less time to stimulate the penis, and, as a consequence, we ejaculate faster — the thickness of semen will be decreased," said Dr. Sendler
He added that things like diet and overall health can also affect how semen looks and feels.
"It is important to recognize that the prostate dictates the ingredients of the semen. Therefore, if someone is sick, the quality of the semen will be affected as well," he said.
MYTH: How much semen someone produces is the most important part of fertility.
The amount of semen doesn't dictate fertility levels. Warner Bros. Television
When it comes to getting someone pregnant, the amount of semen isn't that important.
"All that matters is the quality and concentration of sperm…the bulk of liquid simply protects the sperm, but the sperm cells will get to swim where they need to be, regardless of the quantity of fluid they arrived in," Dr. Sendler stated.
This means that as long as ejaculate has enough high-quality sperm, it will generally be able to fertilize an egg no matter the volume of the semen itself.
MYTH: Tight pants and underwear don't actually have much of an effect on sperm.
Tight garments do actually have a measurable effect on fertility. As Dr. Sendler explained, sperm cells require a precise temperature balance to remain viable. Clothing or underwear that constricts the testicles and holds them close to the body actually raises their internal temperature, decreasing the quality and number of the sperm within.
"We've learned that competitive athletes who often take long, hot baths to relax their muscles have significantly decreased fertility due to the temperature imbalance and overheating of the testicles. Therefore, it is clear that tight underwear is perfectly fine for sexual activities as a tool to arouse and excite, but shouldn't be a part of regular clothing routine," he advised.
MYTH: All sperm basically behaves the same way.
A person's sperm is as individual as they are. Besides carrying unique genetic information, sperm can actually act differently from person to person.
"There is a lot of variability in how the sperm behaves, depending on our genetics, whether [the person] has any diseases or disorder syndromes, and the quality of the immune system," Dr. Sendler told INSIDER.
Keeping fit and free of a disease can ensure your sperm behaves in a way that increases the chances of successful conception and healthy offspring.
Source:INSIDER
