How Long Does Sperm Live

Sperms need no introduction, as these are the tiny fellows who are responsible for successfully carrying out reproduction (obviously, with a bit of help from the female egg!). Since the inception of puberty till the death of a man, the production of sperms is an ongoing process carried out by the testicles, which also store and nourish the sperms.

Sperms can be hailed as the sex or reproductive cells of the body and they're a part of the seminal fluid in males. Seminal fluid contains sperms and other fluids that nourish the sperms. The sperm is ejaculated through the male penis into the female vagina during sexual intercourse. It is interesting to note that not all the seminal fluid are sperms, instead, sperms constitute a very small part of the reproductive fluid. However, each of these small parts contains nearly 100 - 600 million sperms! And the race to fertilize a female eggs begins as soon as the sperms are ejaculated. A marathon of nearly 100-600 million tiny sperms, and one of them is born as a baby! Survival of the fittest, isn't it? Actually, the life of sperm is related to various factors and so this question must be answered, keeping in mind the environmental conditions and how long the sperm is outside. Let's discuss these issues.

Time Period for which Sperms Survive Outside the Body
Once the sperm is ejaculated outside the body various external factors starts affecting it. According to medical experts, if the sperm is left in the open air, it will die within 20 minutes to an hour. This time frame depends on the environmental factors and exposure to air. Also, once the seminal fluid dries, the sperms are dead and so dried seminal fluids don't contain the 'active'/'mobile' sperms.

As mentioned earlier, on the skin, the sperms will thrive for the same amount of time, 20 minutes to an hour, and once dry, the sperms die. Certainly the most important questions for all those trying to conceive is the duration for which the sperms can remain alive in the vagina. As said earlier, during one ejaculation nearly 100-600 million sperms (one or two tablespoons seminal fluid!) are released into the woman's vagina and the hunt for a female egg starts from that moment onwards.

While millions of sperms are ejaculated, very few are able to complete the long journey. For the sperm to get an ovulated egg, it is necessary that it travels up the fallopian tube. Some sperms die when they reach the vaginal canal. This is due to fact that there are certain acidic vaginal secretions that cause the death of the sperms in the vaginal canal. In order to be alive in the long journey, the sperms must reach the uterus in the first five to six hours after initial ejaculation.

Since the female body is naturally meant to conceive, it is inherently designed to boost the process of reproduction. And so the sperms are triggered to swim faster due to cervical mucus, a fluid that is produced by the female reproductive system. This fluid protects and provides favorable environment for the sperms. From the cervix, the sperms swim to the uterus and finally up the fallopian tube, where they are fertilized. Once a healthy sperm reaches the fallopian tube, it can be alive there for about 5-7 days.

So, did you get the answer to the question 'how long do sperms live'? Well, on an average sperm life span is 5 days. So, depending on the ovulation cycle, couples who are trying to conceive can decide that when they can get involved in the sexual act. Generally, females ovulate eggs for 12 to 24 hours and so the fertile period is usually 4-5 days prior to ovulation and about 12-24 hours after ovulation. So, these would be some of the best days to get pregnant. For couples who don't want a baby should adopt the withdrawal method (though ensure that no traces of sperms are left on the vagina!) or other contraception or birth control methods.

The lifespan of sperms may vary depending on various cases. This article just gave a general answer that sperms are alive for nearly 5 days after reaching the fallopian tube. The sperm count (that is the average amount of sperms present in one ejaculation) and various other factors determine the chances of pregnancy. If you've queries regarding conceiving, you must visit a medical expert.