After intercourse, some women do everything they can to help sperm reach the egg more quickly. What many don’t know is that there is a time limit for how long they can stay alive! How long does sperm stay alive inside the body? And outside the body, how long does sperm survive? That’s what we’re going to find out in this article.
Egg Lifespan
Like the egg, sperm also has a “useful” lifespan in the body for reproductive purposes. The woman’s ovulation process can last several days, starting from the moment the follicle is stimulated and begins to mature. This process can take up to 20 or 30 days in the case of late ovulation. If the cycle is regular, the process can start as soon as the woman menstruates. After it is released, the egg has only 24 hours to be fertilized. If this doesn’t happen, it will be carried from the fallopian tubes to the uterus and will be eliminated along with menstruation. Ovulation tests can help to confirm or predict the day a woman will be ovulating.
Sperm Lifespan
It is no different with sperm. It also has a limited time to reach the egg and begin a pregnancy through fertilization. After being produced in the body, sperm can be kept indefinitely in reserve in the scrotal sac, but once ejaculated, their lifespan is limited. If the man is healthy, sperm can last up to 5 days inside the woman’s body. It may seem like a short time, but believe it, for such a small cell it’s quite an achievement. For sperm to survive longer, it’s important to consider certain factors.
Condition of the Female Environment
If the mucus is ideal for sperm survival, it can stay alive for up to 5 days, but the average is 36 hours. For this to happen, the mucus must be ideal, with the right consistency and must have the necessary nutrients to nourish and keep them alive1. It is also necessary to have the correct pH.
Some lubricant gels can help with this point. Besides improving vaginal moisture and balancing pH, they provide comfort during intercourse and, to some extent, help sperm reach the fallopian tubes more easily.
Man’s Health:
If the man is a smoker or uses drugs, the lifespan of his sperm is greatly reduced. To help sperm survive, it is recommended that the man avoid anything harmful to his body, try to eat healthily, and avoid alcoholic drinks2.
To give an extra boost to male fertility, using vitamins can make a difference. Vitamins C and E, for example, are great fighters of free radicals, which are one of the main problems for male infertility. Folic acid or Methylfolate (the active form of folic acid) and vitamin D will strengthen sperm quality and help prevent DNA fragmentation. Getting enough vitamins is essential to ensure sperm health.
Proper Vitamin Intake
If a man’s diet is poor in B-complex vitamins, sperm quality may suffer. These vitamins help both the quality and quantity of seminal fluid, as well as in the process of forming this fluid. Of these B-complex vitamins, folic acid also helps ensure sperm are healthier. So, it would be a good idea to supplement vitamin intake with dietary supplements3.
IMPORTANT: The famous cases of pregnancy without sexual intercourse, just by contact with semen, are very rare and only occur if the contact is almost instantaneous with freshly ejaculated semen.
How to Help Prolong Sperm Lifespan?
To help, just take in the right vitamins and foods, but it’s also important that the man maintains healthy habits and good health. Avoiding tight underwear and pants is a good idea, as it prevents overheating of the testicles, where sperm are produced. For women, eating the right foods to help produce cervical mucus is essential.Natural products such as yam, for example, can help regulate estrogen levels and contribute so sperm survive longer in the body. But if you are a type of woman who has little or no mucus, it is important to use appropriate lubricants to take over the role of the body’s natural mucus. Remember, yam should only be consumed by the woman for conception purposes.
To accurately determine how long sperm stays alive in the body, a specific test is needed. The semen analysis is very effective for evaluating sperm quality, as well as quantity and motility among other aspects. For women, assessing how the body receives sperm after sex is very important. A test that is rarely requested for couples trying to conceive is the post-coital test. Talk to your doctor and ask for these tests to help check sperm health after ejaculation.
How Long Does Sperm Survive Outside the Body?
And how long does sperm live outside the body? If the sperm is not inside the vagina, it can survive for very little time. It’s no more than 2 minutes! And to get pregnant in these situations, the man would have to ejaculate and the woman immediately sit on the toilet, or wipe with a towel or sheet with semen at the entrance of the vagina.
Air negatively affects sperm survival. It survives only in conditions without such exposure. In a condom, it can survive for up to 2 hours, and in a semen collection container for a sperm analysis, it can survive up to 6 hours under suitable conditions. To get pregnant in extreme situations where ejaculated sperm is outside the body (toilet seat, shower floor, bedroom floor, bed or bath linen), the woman would need to be fertile and have immediate contact with the semen. But, just in case, always clean the toilet before sitting down or use a clean towel.
Reader Questions:
Is there a risk of pregnancy from anal sex?
If ejaculation occurs in the anus, no, since there is no internal connection to the vaginal canal and the female reproductive system. But if semen drips into the vagina, there is a small possibility, just as there is if after anal sex, vaginal sex occurs and the penis still has semen from the previous ejaculation. Simply taking a shower is not enough, as sperm can still be inside the man’s urethra.
If ejaculation happened outside the vagina, but the finger with semen on it was used, is there a risk of pregnancy?
Yes, there are risks! But for pregnancy to happen, the finger must be inserted immediately after ejaculation, since sperm survive only 2 minutes outside the body. If this period is longer, it is practically impossible.
