How long can sperm survive in the outside world?

Sperm is the innate condition for men to maintain their vitality. If a man does not have normal sperm, or has weak sperm, few sperm, no sperm, or dead sperm, then this man has lost the right to be a father. So how long can sperm survive in the outside world? Let's learn about the common sense related to sperm below.

The survival time of sperm outside the body actually varies from person to person and is also related to the external environment. Sperm can survive in semen after ejaculation for about 24 hours. If the temperature is lowered, semen can also be stored for several weeks. The following is the survival time of sperm in different environments: in a 37°C environment, active sperm can survive for more than 4 to 8 hours; in the vagina, active sperm can survive for 0.5 days; in the cervix, active sperm can survive for 2 to 8 days; in the uterus and fallopian tubes, active sperm can survive for 2 to 2.5 days. If the temperature is lowered, the survival time of sperm can reach several weeks; if frozen with liquid nitrogen, the survival time of sperm can be longer, and can even be stored for a long time.

When sperms rush up to the uterine cavity, their number is only 1%-5% of that at ejaculation. Why is this? Because sperms remaining in the semen during ejaculation can be protected by a large amount of fructose and enzymes that decompose sugars in the semen. When sperms enter the uterine cavity, they leave the semen and their living conditions are far worse than in the semen. Therefore, their life span is greatly shortened. Sperms of poor quality move slowly and cannot reach the uterine cavity quickly, and they lose their vitality. After passing through many levels, there are only a few sperms that can finally reach the fertilization site in the fallopian tube.

However, once the sperm enters the fallopian tube, it has a strong fertilization ability. Of course, only 1-2 sperms are lucky enough to combine with the egg, and the rest of the sperms die within 24-36 hours. Only the sperm stored in the crypts of the cervical mucosa can live for 2-6 days, but even so, its fertilization ability has basically been lost, because the fertilization ability of sperm can only be maintained for about 20 hours.