To answer every question you've ever had about semen, and some you wouldn't even think to ask, we asked
Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, author of
The Truth About Men and Sex and founder and director of Men's Health Boston, and did our own deep-dive into the complex – and sometimes sticky – world of semen.
A spoonful of semen
The average male produces between 1.5 and 5 milliliters, or 1/4 and 1 teaspoon, of semen per ejaculation, said, Morgentaler. The amount varies from person to person – Morgentaler calls people who produce higher than average quantities of semen "super shooters."
The amount also varies depending on how intense the orgasm is and how long it's been since the man last ejaculated – for instance, if a man had sex twice in one day, the second ejaculation might be smaller, he said. It's not clear why some men produce more semen regularly,
but the reasons why someone produces less could include having low levels of testosterone, taking certain medications, or dealing with the side effects of diabetes, Morgentaler said.
A source of protein
Semen is full of protein and naturally-occurring fructose. "The list of ingredients in semen is remarkably long and fascinating," said Morgentaler. "People have talked about whether semen could be a nourishing meal." He noted that he personally suspects the nutritional value of semen is probably a little scant and he wouldn't hazard a guess at a calorie count. Morgentaler did say this: "Nobody's going to gain weight by having a lot of oral sex."
Taste tests are... complicated
Unfortunately, there aren't many formal studies focusing on changing the taste of sperm. "I think (studies) would have trouble passing an ethics board (review)," said Morgentaler. "Taste is very subjective and you have to think: who is going to be the taster?" However, anecdotes and informal surveys suggest pineapple can be a factor in sweetening the taste of sperm, and some people believe vegetarians have "more palatable" semen than meat-eaters, he said. If there is a particularly foul odor or taste, it could be due to prostate infection, he said.
Sperm play a minor role
When it comes to pregnancy, these little swimmers are the MVPs. But when it comes to contributing to the overall volume of semen, they play a very minor role. In fact, sperm, which come from the testicles, make up just a tiny percentage of ejaculate, said Morgentaler. Seminal fluid, the other part of semen that comes from the seminal vesicles and the prostate, makes up almost all the final product, he said. And for men who've had vasectomies and some who are infertile? Sperm don't even come into play.
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One of the most common side-effects of using exogenous testosterone is shut-down of the hpta which leads to a lack of LH which stimulates the Leydig cells in the testes to produce ITT (intra-testicular testosterone) and lack of FSH which stimulates the Sertoli/germ cells to produce sperm.
Most men will experience testicular atrophy as a majority of testicular volume is made up of germ cells/seminiferous tubules which atrophy when using exogenous testosterone as
sperm is no longer produced.
Most would think that atrophy of the testes will result in a large reduction in semen volume but sperm only make up a small percentage of ejaculate.
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Seminal vesicles
Function
The seminal vesicles secrete a significant proportion of the fluid that ultimately becomes semen.[9] The fluid is secreted from the ejaculatory ducts of the vesicles into the vas deferens, where it becomes part of semen. This then passes through the urethra, where it is
ejaculated during a male
sexual response.
[8]
About 70-85% of the seminal fluid in humans originates from seminal vesicles.[10] The fluid consists of nutrients including fructose and citric acid, prostaglandins, and fibrinogen.[9] Nutrients help support
sperm until fertilization occurs; prostaglandins may also assist by softening mucous of the
cervix, and by causing reverse contractions of parts of the
female reproductive tract such as the
fallopian tubes, to ensure that sperm are less likely to be expelled.
[9]
The ejaculatory ducts pass through the prostate gland.
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