Can sperm live for a week? Don’t misunderstand sperm survival time!

Although sperm is a substance discharged from the male body, it is also a small life. Men nickname it "tadpole". When sperm enters the female vagina, it is like "tadpole looking for mother". It starts a journey of no return. Many sperm lose their lives on the way to the uterus. Only the sperm that survives can combine with the egg. So, how long can sperm survive?

Life expectancy: 8 hours or less

Generally speaking, the life span of sperm in the female vagina does not exceed 8 hours. After that, only a small number of sperm will escape and continue to move forward. Why is this? Because when a man ejaculates, the sperm in the semen can be protected by a large amount of fructose and enzymes that decompose sugar in the semen. When the sperm enters the uterine cavity, it leaves the semen. At this time, the living conditions are far worse than in the semen, so the life span is greatly shortened. Poor quality sperm moves slowly and cannot reach the uterine cavity quickly, and loses its vitality.

The strongest sperm can survive up to 6 days

Experts say: After passing through many checkpoints, only a few sperm 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 sperm are lucky enough to combine with the egg, and the rest of the sperm will 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 been basically lost, because the fertilization ability of sperm can only be maintained for about 20 hours.

Decreased fertilization ability

The egg has the strongest fertilization ability within 15 to 18 hours after it is released from the ovary, and can maintain fertilization ability for about 30 hours. After that, the egg begins to degenerate, and the fertilization ability rapidly weakens and disappears. Although the sperm injected into the female reproductive tract can survive for up to 4 to 5 days, it has a strong fertilization ability for 1 to 2 days, which means that only sexual intercourse within 1 to 2 days before and after the woman ovulates can pregnancy occur. This point is very important for guiding the sexual life of infertile couples. Some couples have no problem with fertility, but they are infertile for several years after marriage because they ignore the opportunity for conception.