Sperm : the things you always wanted to know

The Facts
. Sperm is produced at an average rate of 1,500 per second per testicle.
· It takes about 100 days for sperm to form and mature.
· The average ejaculation contains about a teaspoonful of semen, which contains 200-500 million sperm.
· Because sperm are so tiny, they account for only about 1/10 of the volume of semen. The rest is fluid from the seminal vesicles and prostate gland.
· If an average ejaculation filled an Olympic sized swimming pool, each sperm cell would be smaller than a goldfish.
· The average time a sperm survives in the female reproductive tract is 3 to 4 days.
· Sperm can live in the man’s body up for up to 6 months.
· Sperm aren’t ejaculated get broken down and reabsorbed or are washed away in urine.
· Men can’t run out of sperm. Masturbation and sex doesn’t use up sperm. The body keeps making sperm as long as a man has one testicle (hurrah!)
· Sperm have a 6 inch swim to reach the woman’s egg. This is equal to 10- mile swim for a man.At least 32 different chemicals have been found in semen. They include more than 20 amino acids, glucose, citric acid, fructose, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Potassium, Calcium and Copper.
. Ejaculate does not have a significant amount of calories. You'd have to ingest 400 loads to equal the calorie content of a "death by chocolate" dessert (Weight watchers would be so proud - nil points for a mouthful).

Does semen have a typical look, smell and taste?
Semen usually appears as an opalescent white fluid that gets clear and runny within minutes after ejaculation. Often, semen has an odor that resembles chlorine. And the different parts of semen have different tastes. "For example, the component from the seminal vesicle, which is high in fructose [sugar], will be slightly sweeter than the rest of the fluid," Dr. Lowe explains. That said, semen characteristics do vary from person to person, month to month. Small changes in color, smell or taste are not necessarily cause for alarm, adds Dr. Goldstone.

Blood in your semen can signal a broken blood vessel, which may result from the force of your ejaculation. If this is the case, the blood will usually subside after a couple of days. You should contact your doctor if your semen continues to look brown or red, because this may signal an infection of the prostate or seminal vesicle, says Dr. Lowe. A yellowish or greenish discharge from the urethra is frequently a sign of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can be cured with antibiotics.

Also consult your doctor if your ejaculate has a strong, foul smell. This, too, could be a sign of a prostate infection.

Don't say I never share my knowledge.