The idea that sperm dies when in contact with oxygen is myth. Sperm are much more resistant than what you think.
Os sperm They have a monumental task in reproduction. However, it is known that have the days numbered…
After all, how long does human sperm survive, from the moment they are produced in the testicles to the time they go through the maze of the female reproductive tract?
The answer depends on the location where the sperm is and of conditions like the temperature, moisture and energy levels.
From the testicles, sperm migrate through a narrow and wrapped channel called epididymis for 10 days, until they reach a reservoir at the end, where they await ejaculation. Outside the warm confines of the testicles, sperm face a unpredictable world.
Although it is often said that sperm die when they come into contact with oxygen, this is a myth. The explanation was given to by experts in the article.
After all, when and where does human sperm survive?
A humidityfor example, It is critical for sperm survival.
Numa dry surfaceout of the body, without a liquid medium to swim, sperm wither and die in a few minutes in an hour.
Under ideal laboratory conditions, where sperm can be incubated in a controlled environment – for example, in assisted reproduction processes such as the fertilization in vitro – Cells can survive up to 72 hours.
However, your lifetime increases significantly with the help of other technological advances.
“If they are properly frozensperm can survive For decades“, He explained Brett Nixonfrom the life of the University of Newcastle, Australia, Live Science.
And inside the body?
According to experts heard by Live Science, sperm can live naturally inside the body after leaving the testicles.
O most common is to survive up to 7 days; But in more extreme cases, because it lasts up to a period of 28 days.
“There are one or two reports of sperm that survive in the female tract for the next menstrual cycle, ie up to 28 days, But there are few and distant from each other, ”he said Christopher BarrattProfessor of Reproductive Biology at the University of Dundee, the United Kingdom, to the same magazine.
“Most experts say the sperm survives up to 7 days. We know this because a person has about 5% hypothesis to get pregnant even if they have sex up to seven days before ovulation (…) therefore, sperm can survive during this time period, ”Barratt explained.
How do they last so long?
Sperm that live longer provides a reproductive advantage in humans. Staying more days in the body, they have more chances of overlapping ovulation, the brief window of time in which the ovary releases an egg to be fertilized.
But the longevity of sperm depends on several factors, many of which researchers are still trying to understand.
O plasma seminal that transports them to the body plays an important role, as this fluid contains ingredients that support and nourish sperm, including protein and nutrient molecules such as zinc.
O female reproductive tract It also plays a critical role in the survival of sperm, providing them with glucose energy as they travel toward the egg.
“Sperm have their own energy resources, but they don’t last for themselves five or seven days. They need to get it from the female deal,” Barratt noted.
In addition, tract cells seem to provide rest stops Crucial to sperm along the way – for example, at the bottom of the fallopian tube, or oviduct.
Instead of “running” to the egg, sperm slows down and dock in these reservoirs. Here they are fixed to the surface cells and seem to take refuge until they break free to a final race to the egg.
It is possible that oviduct cells provide ingredients and trigger cellular changes that help maintain sperm and increase their permanence power in the reproductive tract.
The ability of sperm to wait in the oviductal reservoirs essentially ensures that hundreds of sperm are prepared and ready to leave when the egg arrives.
“There is more hypothesis of getting pregnant closer to ovulation and ovulation day. But the fact that sperm can be waiting there is a great advantage. Surviving for a longer period of time gives this flexibility,” Barret said.
