June 25, 2025

Spermatozoa in focus

We all know that sperm are necessary to create another human being, but sometimes they don't get enough recognition for their role.

Perhaps the reason is the perception that women are considered more responsible because they wear out the child. The truth is that half of a child's genetic code is carried in semen. There are many interesting facts semen and it is they that will help us to appreciate sperm even more.

1. About the existence of spermatozoa - the world learned in 1677

A year before that, the Dutch scientist and manufacturer of microscopes - Anthony van Leeuwenhoek made several revolutionary studies in this direction. In 1674, he examined living microbes for the first time under his improved microscope. Later, in 1677, the scientist sent an astonishing report to the Royal Society of London describing what he saw when he pointed his primitive but powerful single-lens microscope at this most mysterious substance: male sperm. Less than “six beats of the pulse” after ejaculation, Leeuwenhoek looks into his microscope and is amazed to see hundreds of thousands of tiny writhing “eels.” Anthony van Leeuwenhoek was the first person to see what sperm cells looked like and the first to describe them. Soon he concludes that they are the male contribution to the generation of life.

2. Sperm cells are the smallest cells in the human body!

If an egg is magnified in its gigantic size - gigantic, relative to all other cells in the human body, then opposite to its size - the sperm cell is the smallest cell in the human body. Spermatozoa move in the sizes between 52 μm and 62 μm micrometers (one millionth of a meter.) If we assume that on average there are about 39 million swimmers in the ejaculate and imagine them arranged lengthwise one behind the other, they would form a row with a total length of about 2.5 kilometers. Amazing, isn't it?

3. Programmed to Survive

Sperm cells are the only cells that are produced in one organism, but are actually created to survive in another. Once in the cervix, they can survive there for up to 5 days, thanks to the cervical mucus that supplies them with the necessary nutrients.

4. Multimillionaires

The ejaculate of a healthy man with good fertility contains about 30-600 million spermatozoa. Since the sperm count is also influenced by age, the state of health of the man, and environmental and lifestyle factors, in practice it is accepted that the sperm count is considered normal if it exceeds 39 million.

5. The winners are only the sprinters.

If immediately after ovulation the sperm reaches the egg, then it will be located at the very beginning of the fallopian tubes. Under normal conditions, only about 300-500 spermatozoa overcome this huge distance and reach the goal. Everyone else is lagging behind on the track—this is Darwinism in its purest form.

6. At the speed of a bee

When ejaculating, sperm are launched from the penis at a speed of 17 km/h. For comparison: the bee flies at an average of 18 km/h.

Once in the vagina, the sperm slows down dramatically and moves towards the egg by an average of 3-4 mm. per minute. This corresponds to a speed of 0.0002 km/h.

7. Spermatozoa are male or female.

A sperm carries either a male “Y” chromosome or a female “X” chromosome, but not both. It is the type of chromosome that determines the sex of the baby.

8. Sperm are disoriented!

It has been scientifically proven that the only purpose of sperm is to fertilize the egg, but they do not know this, nor do they know how to get to it. To whom do you suspect this task also goes? With the egg, of course! This function is embedded in the “program” of every healthy and fertilizable egg. The egg signals in a specific way and thus helps the spermatozoa in finding the direction. Wireless technologies damage sperm.

9. Human sperm are deformed

The man's “sperm-making machine “constantly loses its settings. This is the simple explanation for the fact that sperm do not look the same. 90% of them are deformed — some have two tails, some have huge heads, others have folded tails — this list can go on and on.

10. The man secretes very little seminal fluid

An adult stallion (a horse, not a man) secretes about 60-100 ml of sperm at a time, a bull - 40-50 ml, and a male only 2-6 ml, that is, to half a teaspoon.

11. Spermatozoa have caps

In fact, they are not exactly caps, but on the heads of sperm there is a bowl-like structure called the acrosome. It is a membranous bubble that contains the chemical compounds released upon contact with the egg. These substances dissolve the surface of the egg so that the sperm can penetrate into it.

12. One testicle is enough

If, at birth or as a result of an accident/illness, a man is left with one testicle, that testicle will be able to produce enough sperm to conceive a child. It is even likely that the productive ability of the lone hero will increase. Famous cyclist Lance Armstrong lost one testicle to cancer, but this did not prevent him from becoming the father of five children.

13. The “workshop” never stops working

Women are born with a certain number of eggs for life, but in men the reproductive system is arranged differently. They produce sperm every day for a whole day. A lifetime. With age, a man's sperm becomes more sluggish, but the mechanism still functions 24/7.

14. Sperm Health

Like any other system in the human body, it also needs to be maintained. For healthy sperm, it is desirable for a man to eat healthy, not to smoke and not to overdo it with alcohol. One study has shown that three or more cups of coffee a day reduce the concentration of sperm, and the consumption of cereals normalizes their concentration and motility.

15. Regular ejaculation improves sperm quality

According to numerous studies, regular ejaculation supports the mobility and qualities of sperm. Every healthy man produces about 1,500 sperm every single second - each. The daily number of sperm produced on a daily basis exceeds 1 million.