Sperm and Ferility

Sperm and Fertilization:

Of the many millions of sperm released each time a man ejaculates inside a woman, far fewer live long enough to make an attempt at fertilization. After unprotected intercourse, sperm can sustain its reproductive viability for several days – if it makes it up as far as the cervix.

If the sperm gets no further than the vaginal canal, it will survive for just a few hours, due to exposure to acidic vaginal secretions. However, a woman’s body has a built-in mechanism to give the reproductive process a boost: around the time of ovulation, a healthy female body produces a particular cervical mucous that creates a protective, hospitable environment for sperm; in fact, the consistency of the mucous even helps the sperm make its way (commonly referred to as “swimming”) through the vagina to the cervix. Under ideal circumstances, if healthy sperm get beyond the cervix into the uterus and up to the fallopian tubes, they can live as long as 5-7 days after ejaculation. On average, though, sperm live about 3-4 days once they’ve made it all the way to the fallopian tubes, where fertilization takes place. (A woman’s egg, on the other hand, is viable for only about one day once it leaves the ovary.)