Consultation
Hello. I had a very ridiculous situation, because of which I am very worried. My last period was on September 6 and lasted 7 days. The cycle is approximately 30 to 33 days long. From this it follows that ovulation was somewhere in the 20th of September, right? In October, I was with a guy, he went to the toilet (it turns out for masturbation, I did not know about it). After that, he wiped off the semen with paper, washed his hands with soap and dried everything with a towel. So, is pregnancy possible if he touched my genitals with his hands (he did not insert his fingers into the vagina) after these procedures? I did 4 pregnancy tests, the last one I did this morning - all negative. Can pregnancy be ruled out? I `m A virgin.
Practitioners are consulted on this issue. Medical education is verified by the site administration. The service bears full moral and legal responsibility for the quality of the consultations.
Answers to these and many other questions are the topic of today's article.
What Factors Affect Sperm Viability
The importance of sperm in human life can hardly be overestimated. It is on their viability and mobility under favorable circumstances that the outcome of sexual intercourse and the birth of a new life, the birth of a baby and even his kind depend.
The life cycle of male spermatozoa is conventionally divided into two periods:
- Birth and maturation in the parental organism. It takes about 2 months for a sperm cell to become an adult, get stronger and get its own individual set of chromosomes. For another month he waits for the moment of ejaculation, then dies, becomes unable to fertilize a female egg.
- Life in the external environment- comes from the moment of orgasm, when the sperm leaves the parental organism. It either enters the woman's vagina, where it has a chance of fertilization, or dies in the open air.
Once every three months, the cellular composition of the gametes is renewed, which continues throughout the life of a man.
It is important to know how long the sperm is alive and at the same time retains its activity from the moment of ejaculation. On average, life expectancy ranges from a few minutes to several days.... It all depends on where they ended up - in the female body or in the external environment.
The life span of sperm depends on many factors, the main of which are:
- the condition of the reproductive organs of men and women, the presence or absence of chronic or acute diseases, inflammatory processes;
- the temperature of the man's body or environment;
- the type of environment they find themselves in after sex;
- exposure to light, including sunlight;
- the use of lubricants during sexual intercourse;
- indicators of acid-base balance in the vagina. If the medium is alkaline, then the sperm live longer;
- taking medications or contraceptives;
- a set of chromosomes of a particular sperm;
- individual indicators of the state of sperm: number, composition, activity of germ cells;
- synthetic compounds that may be in the lubricant of the condom.
The female ovum lives for a day after ovulation. This time is quite enough for a viable sperm cell to reach it, because it only takes him half an hour.
How long do sperm with X and Y chromosomes live?
But there is also a difference in the life of the sperm. And this is especially important for couples who are planning a child and dream of a girl or a boy:
In fact, scientists have so far refuted such calculations, but why not try?
Sometimes it also happens that in the male line, spermatozoa with Y-chromosomes or with X-chromosomes always die, having structural disorders and being unviable. This is due to heredity, and in such families, from generation to generation, either only girls or only boys are born.
How does a low or high temperature affect sperm?
The temperature of a man's body and the environment in which he spends a sufficient amount of time plays the most important role in how long sperm live and how active they are.
The most favorable body temperature for sperm cells is up to 37 degrees. A couple who are planning a pregnancy should also live at an optimal room temperature at home.
Elevated temperature
- if the main working time is associated with high temperature conditions, for example, in a production workshop or a mine, then most of the sperm die, and those that survive do not differ in activity and vitality, are almost unable to fertilize;
- a decrease in mobility is also observed in the summer heat, when the thermometer shows 38 ° C above zero;
- a man should avoid wearing tight, tight, and besides, synthetic underwear;
- lovers of steam baths and saunas should be on their guard, because they may also have problems with conceiving a child.
Reduced temperature
The impact of low temperatures on a man's body is also fraught with consequences. If a man is for a long time in conditions where four degrees below zero, then not only the death of gametes occurs, but also an imbalance in the work of the reproductive system as a whole.
Therefore, it is so important not to ignore warm underwear during frosts, not to sit on a cold one, not to touch ice and snow with your hands. Especially during the period when the birth of a new life is planned.
But what about freezing sperm for the donor bank?
After all, it is frozen at high temperatures, but at the same time it retains its abilities during artificial insemination?
It's all about the special technology of such freezing and the conditions for its storage. The process takes place literally in a few seconds so that the sperm in a state of shock do not have time to die. But at the slightest deviation from certain storage conditions, they immediately lose their properties and die.
How many sperm cells live in a female body
Once in the female body, sperm behave differently. The time of their ability to fertilize depends on various factors related to the state of the female body, the menstrual cycle, and their viability:
- in the vagina an acidic environment prevails, supported by special lactobacilli, under the influence of which most spermatozoa die within 1.5-2 hours... Only the strongest and most mobile remain. They then reach the cervix;
- in the cervix their life expectancy increases from 4 to 8 days due to the fact that the environment here is alkaline. They begin to move much more actively and after half an hour they already reach the uterus and fallopian tubes;
- in pipes during ovulation, an egg that has ripened for fertilization can already wait for them. If it is absent, then sperm live for a week, but lose their fertilizing ability after 3-5 days.
The lifespan of gametes directly depends on the state of health of the female body, including the organs of the reproductive system. Any inflammatory processes change the pH of the medium towards an increase in acidity, which has a detrimental effect on most sperm cells. The presence of genital infections, for example, chlamydia, generally have a cytotoxic, killing effect on cells.
How long do sperm live after getting on the genitals, is there a possibility of pregnancy in this case?
The answer to the question is yes. Yes, it is possible to get pregnant even if, since the sperm are contained in the lubricant and remain on the penis and in the urethra. And in the case of their endurance and activity, they can very much help to get pregnant.
Especially if the sexual intercourse is repeated without first having performed the necessary hygienic procedures, without washing away the traces of the first.
How long do sperm cells live in the environment?
Spermatozoa in the ejaculate are in the secret of the prostate, which contains biologically active substances that support them, nourish and have a protective effect against the acidic environment in the female vagina. Immune cells perceive them as foreign proteins and try to destroy them. Therefore, it is easy to imagine what happens to sperm when they find themselves in the external environment and lose this protection. In this case, they do not live for long.
In water
There are 5 to 10 minutes per ejaculate. Finding themselves without a nutrient medium, sperm cells die in a second.
On the head of the penis and underwear
They die within half an hour. Therefore, during this time, the most active of them, with a positive set of circumstances, can penetrate into the vagina, uterus and fertilize the egg.
Under the influence of light and sunlight
Light affects them destructively, the life expectancy is no more than 20 minutes.
With a tied condom
About half an hour if there is no synthetic spermicidal lubricant. Otherwise, they die instantly.
The stories of how women tricked women into using sperm from a used condom to get pregnant are quite true. It is not so difficult and time-consuming to inject sperm into the vagina. And some of the gametes may well fertilize the egg.
On open air
After a man has finished outside the female body, sperm can last no more than 2 hours. And even with the greatest activity, having overcome the acidic environment of the vagina, they are unlikely to be able to move on.
High fertility in a man requires the release of a large amount of sperm. In this case, the death of gametes occurs within the next 5 hours.
In the mouth, on the hands, in the saliva, in the anus, in any areas of the skin and household items, sperm cells die within 3-5 hours. And in this case, it is not worth worrying about whether an unwanted pregnancy may occur or not.
On sheets and a towel sperm cells die as soon as the semen dries up, and the risk of pregnancy in this case is reduced to zero.
Many women want to know if it is possible to conceive a child by collecting fresh semen in a syringe. Yes, you can, but under a favorable set of circumstances, which depend on the day of the menstrual cycle and the purity of the sperm. This should be done immediately after orgasm in a clean cup, and only then use it in the syringe. In an hour, the possibility of fertilization will be reduced by 5 times.
Spermogram
This sperm analysis is very relevant today, since the number of childless couples has increased significantly precisely because of male infertility, which is often associated with the composition of sperm, the mobility and vitality of gametes, with their defects, etc.
After three days of abstinence, the man ejaculates into a special cup, and then experts do a test in which they determine:
- what is the shape, appearance and size of gametes
- their activity, how fast they move;
- density, that is, the content of gametes in semen, is expressed in millions per milliliter;
- the amount of ejaculate released, which should be no more than a teaspoon.
According to the spermogram indicators, they determine how high the ability of a particular man to reproduce offspring, how many sperm cells live, the ratio of mature and young in the composition of the ejaculate.
Do not forget that such an analysis should be carried out in specialized medical centers with the participation of qualified specialists.
How to increase the viability of a gamete
- give up tight tight underwear, give preference to loose, so-called family panties;
- do not overcool, maintain the desired temperature regime for the body and the environment;
- give up going to the bathhouse or sauna at least a few weeks before the planned conception;
- do not use various lubricants and gels that reduce the life of the gamete;
- avoid stress, try not to react to difficult life circumstances with depression and irritability.
- get more rest, do not forget that you need to sleep at least eight hours a day;
- get rid of bad habits, especially smoking and alcohol abuse;
- increase physical activity, do not take anabolic steroids and steroids, but at the same time avoid heavy lifting and professional sports;
- change your diet, do not eat soy and fatty foods, eat more vegetables and fruits, fill your body with missing nutrients;
- take vitamin and mineral complexes and immunomodulators, especially during the off-season.
Knowing how long sperm cells live makes it easy to plan or avoid pregnancy. And even if scientists are wrong, guess the sex of the long-awaited baby.
The composition of spermicidal agents includes a chemical and. The substance kills, and the base helps it spread throughout the vagina and envelops the cervix. Most spermicides use the potent non-oxylone-9, but manufacturers often replace it with octoxylone, menphegol, and benzalkonium chloride, which have similar effects.
Sometimes mercury compounds are added to spermicides, but it is undesirable to use them, since they can cause complications.
There are different forms of spermicides: they come in the form of jelly, melting suppositories, dissolving films, foaming tablets and creams. Jellies and creams can be used together with the diaphragm or separately. They begin immediately after administration and continue for an hour. Foams have a great contraceptive effect and are used separately, acting instantly and within an hour. When using suppositories and tablets, intercourse should be started no earlier than 15 minutes after the application of spermicide, which will last no more than an hour. Spermicidal films have a similar effect.
Soap effectiveness
Questions about the use of soap as a contraceptive can be found in the 21st century. Despite a wide range of quality patented products, they continue to trust the methods that their grandmothers used. There is a certain acid-base balance in the female vagina - soap, as you know, gives an alkaline reaction. Its frequent use in places not intended for this will upset this balance and lead to various complications.
Women can use spermicides at any age, during pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and after abortion.
Soap is not a reliable and effective spermicide - it has a weak alkaline reaction, while rather strong acid solutions negatively affect sperm activity. Douching with soapy water can lead to vaginosis and dryness of the vaginal mucosa. As a result, a woman will receive one hundred percent discomfort and a very low probability of avoiding pregnancy. Therefore, it is better to use modern proven contraceptives or a banal condom, which will protect not only from unwanted conception, but also from a variety of sexually transmitted diseases.
There are many worries about the possibility of an accidental pregnancy from sperm on the fingers of the hand, even among virgins. So is this even possible theoretically?
First, it should be noted right away that sperm retain their vitality and mobility only in the seminal fluid. Staying in the external environment outside the seminal fluid, the sperm dies within 10 seconds to 10 minutes.
Secondly, nature is arranged so that from one environment to another (from the male body to the female) sperm enter under pressure, ejaculating during ejaculation. Further, they still have to travel about 18 cm to get to the egg. Moreover, this should take place in the most favorable conditions. As soon as these conditions lose their favorableness, the sperm cell loses its mobility, its energetic depletion occurs, and then - death. After ejaculation, which occurred during normal intercourse, almost 99% of the spermatozoa that entered the female body die in the first two hours. poses a serious threat to them, and only a few have a chance to reach the target and fertilize. Such a vaginal environment protects the reproductive organs of a woman, being a barrier to pathogenic male microflora during sexual intercourse. And sperm, by the way, are no exception, because they also need to go through the same acidic environment.
What conditions are favorable for sperm?
What conditions are favorable for sperm? The most favorable for them is an alkaline environment, only in it the vital activity of spermatozoa is full. A man's body, when excited, produces a so-called lubricant (precum), which is an alkaline medium and helps sperm to penetrate into the vagina with minimal loss. On average, the retention time of spermatozoa that have entered the vagina during sexual intercourse ranges from 15 minutes to a maximum of 3 hours. That is, even under favorable conditions, conception is not so easy.
Is it possible to get pregnant from a finger?
Sperm, caught on the fingers, loses the protection of the seminal fluid in the air, loses its mobility, oxidizes and dries out. And the subsequent falling into the acidic environment of the vagina, which is destructive for him, does not at all betray him the energy so necessary to overcome the difficult path to the egg cell, which is beyond the power of many spermatozoa, not deprived of being in favorable conditions. It is hardly possible to transfer viable spermatozoa into the vagina on the fingers and fertilize the girl at the same time, especially if the fingers were previously wiped off.
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