facts about semen

Semen: top five facts

Semen – sounds like a magic potion of sorts, eh? In some ways, it is. Only men have it and it’s essential for making babies. What's in it? Is it OK to swallow? All this and more in our Top Five Facts number 17.
  1. What is it for? The main function of semen is to help make babies, of course. When you have vaginal sex without using a condom, the tiny sperm (male reproductive cells) contained in the semen get squirted inside the vagina and start a long swim through the uterus to the fallopian tubes in search of an egg to fertilise. If just one little sperm finds an egg and burrows it’s way inside, voila, you get a baby! Semen isn’t produced in the testicles but in glands inside the man’s pelvis – the seminal vesicles do most of the job, then the prostate and the bulbourethral glands both add a shot of different fluids to the mixture. The testicles just contribute the payload – the sperm – but that makes up only a tiny proportion of the total. When a man orgasms the semen rushes through the tubes of his reproductive system comes out of the opening in his penis in between about five and ten spurts. In some men it shoots out like a fountain, in others it just dribbles. But that doesn’t affect how likely they are to get a woman pregnant. Sometimes men ejaculate in their sleep – this is called having a wet dream. And some men can also orgasm without secreting any semen at all!
  2. What’s in it? Let’s start with how semen looks – it’s a white, grey or yellowish jelly-like fluid. It can be thicker or more runny but that has nothing to do with your fertility levels. It depends on a variety of factors like your diet, exercise and even clothing! If your semen looks red or pink in colour, you should get a check-up with your doctor – it might mean you’ve got blood in your semen. Apart from sperm, the semen has a range of other ingredients. As well as a load of protein, it’s also contains fructose, creatine, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B12, zinc and even chlorine. Because it’s acidic inside the vagina, the semen is alkaline so the sperm don’t get frazzled.
  3. Quantity and quality On an average, a man produces 2-5ml of semen when he ejaculates – 5ml is a teaspoonful. If you haven’t ejaculated in a long while, the volume might be high and if you ejaculate often, you might not produce as much semen at once. You’ve only got to worry if the quantity is much less than 1.5 ml or way more than 5.5ml. How many sperm come out when you ejaculate? Well, it’s a lot. The WHO reckons you need about 40 million in an ejaculation to be useful. But two or three hundred million a shot is more usual! Even if you have plenty of sperm enough of them also need to be in good shape and strong swimmers – but it’s actually quite normal if 25 percent of your sperm are dead when you ejaculate. Some people think that ejaculating a lot can sap your strength, so you need to save up your sperm, but this is a total myth. You might feel a bit sleepy straight afterwards, and your testosterone level drops, but that doesn’t last long. For the sperm in your semen to be in good shape for fertility, it’s actually best to keep them flowing regularly.
  4. Nasty diseases Despite all its virtues and life-giving abilities, semen can carry sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, genital warts and syphilis. STDs not only spread through vaginal intercourse – they can also spread through oral and anal sex. And no, having a shower after sex doesn’t save you from contracting any STD. The only way to surely never contract any of them is to abstain from sex. Sounds scary, doesn’t it? But there is an alternative – to always use barrier contraceptives like condoms.
  5. Tasty and nourishingIs it OK to swallow semen? Yes, of course. It certainly won’t make you put on weight. In fact, it’s packed with protein and vitamins, so it might just make you healthier! Whether you're up for it or not is a different matter - that's for you to decide. But one thing a guy can do is to make sure his semen is tasty! It could taste sour or sweet depending on what you’ve eaten, or whether you’ve drunk alcohol or smoked cigarettes. To make your semen taste good, you can maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet – full with fresh vegetables and fruits. Some studies suggest that eating pineapples makes your semen taste sweeter.

Gayatri Parameswaran is a multi-award winning writer, director and producer of immersive media works. She was born and raised in India and is currently based in Berlin, where she co-founded NowHere Media - a storytelling studio that views contemporary issues through a critical lens. She also edited the Love Matters website in its initial years. Check out more about her here.

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Comments
Rajukapoor
Wed, 09/21/2016 - 14:34
I only have one functioning testis.When i masturbate i get very watery white liquid. Is it sufficient for me to father a child ?
Relax, dear! The consistency and volume of semen has nothing to do with masturbation. And neither is it any indication of fertility or infertility. https://lovematters.in/en/resource/ejaculation https://lovematters.in/en/news/semen-top-five-facts https://lovematters.in/en/news/watery-semen-dont-blame-masturbation If you would like to join in on a further discussion on this topic, join our discussion board, "Just Ask” https://lovematters.in/en/forum
Jee haan bete usmein shukranu hote hain. Ise bhee padhiye: https://lovematters.in/en/our-bodies/male-body/semen-top-five-facts Yadi aap is mudde par humse aur gehri charcha mein judna chahte hain to hamare disccsion board “Just Poocho” mein zaroor shamil ho! https://lovematters.in/en/forum
aunty ji mera viry bahut patla hai meri shadi ko 4 sal ho gaye hai me abhi pita nahi ban paya iska koi upay hai aunty ji me bahut paresan hu kya karu aunty ji
Bete iska samabandh pita banane se nahi ho sakta hai kyunki virya ka gadha-mota hone se koi sambandh nahi hai zara yeh padho: https://lovematters.in/hi/resource/ejaculation https://lovematters.in/en/our-bodies/male-body/semen-top-five-facts Aur kya aap iske baare mein kisi panjikrit doctor se mille hain? Plkease kisi achchhe vishesagya ya ek panjikrit doctor se mill lijiye- lekin abhi toh lock down hai isliye iske baare mein aap apne shahar ke govt. hospital jaakar ek doctor se mill lijiye ya aapke parichit mein koi achchha panjikrit doctor ho toh unse consult kar lijiye. Aur pregnancy ke tips yaha bhee pahdiye: https://lovematters.in/hi/resource/tips https://lovematters.in/hi/resource/pregnancy Yadi aap is mudde par humse aur gehri charcha mein judna chahte hain to hamare discussion board “Just Poocho” mein zaroor shamil ho! https://lovematters.in/en/forum
Aunty ji Mai masturbate karta hu Lekin filhal kuchh dino se mere semin me sperm Ki batti jaisi nikal rahi hai jaise tube se dva nikalti hai kya ye koi bimari hai liquid ke sath semin ki ganth ki ganth bhi nikalti hai plz mam btaye zaroor
Bete please iske baare me kisi achchhe vishesagya ya ek panjikrit doctor se mil lijiye aur unki salah ko follow kijiye. Yadi aap is mudde par humse aur gehri charcha mein judna chahte hain to hamare discussion board “Just Poocho” mein zaroor shamil ho! https://lovematters.in/en/forum
Rajan keshari
Mon, 01/31/2022 - 23:57
Mam meri ek help kijiye mera ling bahot chhota h kipya koi to upaye btaiye or mujhe sex karne ka bahot man karta hai but mera ling ke karan mai kuch nhi kar pata hu kuch to upaye btaiye ki ling bada ho sake apke jawab ka wait karunga..
Relax bete! Suno, baat size ki nahin hai - style ki hai beta, apne partner ko jaano samjho aur unki utejan pe utna hee focus karo jitna khud ki. Yeh hai achche sex ki nishani. Aur ling ka size badhane ka koi bhi tarika mojjud nahi hai. Ling ke size ki sahi jaankari yahan se hasil kijiye: https://lovematters.in/en/resource/penis-shapes-and-sizes https://lovematters.in/hi/our-bodies/male-body/penis-enlargement-doesnt-work https://lovematters.in/en-in/kya-penis-ka-size-bada-kiya-ja-sakta-hai Yadi aap is mudde par humse aur gehri charcha mein judna chahte hain to hamare discussion board “Just Poocho” mein zaroor shamil ho! https://lovematters.in/en/forum
Pankaj mahobiya
Wed, 03/23/2022 - 14:01
Mam mere gf ka period ka date 28 se 31 ke Bich hai Maine 22 tarik ko sex Kiya sirf 5 min aur Maine apna virya ko bathroom me girya uske as pas nahi girya to Kya pregnant ho sakti Maine without condom Kiya hai
Dekhiye Pankaj bete yeh ek bohot badi mithya hai ki sperm bahar nikalne se garbhdharn nahi hota hai kyunki pregnant hone ke liye ek shukranu bhi bohot kaafi hota hai. Zara yeh padhiye: https://lovematters.in/hi/news/10-most-common-contraception-myths Yeh sex unsafe tha toh ismein pregnancy ke chances ho skate hain. Iske liye unsafe sex ke 10 din poore hote hee chemist se liya gaya ek home pregnancy test kit se test lijiye aur sthiti ko nischit kar lijiye. Yadi positive ho toh phir - kisi vishesagya ya achche panjikrit doctor se mill lijiye aur dekhiye kya ho sakta hai. Iske illava aap FPAI clinic se bhee sampark kar sakety hai jiski jaankari aaapko iski website pe mil jayegi. https://lovematters.in/hi/resource/unplanned-pregnancy https://lovematters.in/hi/pregnancy/home-pregnancy-tests-dos-and-donts https://www.ippf.org/about-us/member-associations/india Yadi aap is mudde par humse aur gehri charcha mein judna chahte hain to hamare discussion board “Just Poocho” mein zaroor shamil ho! https://lovematters.in/en/forum
Jee nahi Ankit bete anal sex se pregnancy ke chances nahi hote hain. Lekin cleanliness ke liye condom ka istemal zaruri hota hai. Ise padhiye: https://lovematters.in/hi/resource/anal-sex https://lovematters.in/hi/making-love/ways-to-make-love/kaaisae-karae-gaudaa-maaithauna Yadi aap is mudde par humse aur gehri charcha mein judna   chahte hain to hamare discussion board “Just Poocho” mein zaroor shamil ho! https://lovematters.in/en/forum
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