How long can sperm live outside the body?
Sperm can live for 5 days in a woman's uterus, but only for a few minutes outside of the body.
Men's testicles make several million sperm a day, about 1,500 every second. One cycle of spermatogenesis (about 72 days) can be up to 8 billion. When you ejaculate, each ml of semen contains 20-300 million sperm cells.
The life span depends on the environment in which they exist. If you ejaculate outside, the sperm exposed to the air will quickly dry, die after a few minutes. During this short time, sperm is close to the vagina and has not dried yet, it can still travel to meet the egg. That's part of the reason external ejaculation can't be a safe contraceptive.
In a hot tub, fertilization is almost impossible, as they have a hard time moving through the water to get into a woman's body. The heat of water or chemicals kills them in seconds. In a warm bath, the life time is several minutes.
In the case of vaginal ejaculation, sperm can live in the uterus for 5 days. A woman can still conceive if she has unprotected sex during her period. If a woman ovulates after her period, the sperm can still be alive and fertilize.
They move from the vagina through the cervix into the uterus. Uterine contractions pull sperm towards the fallopian tubes. The first sperm can enter the fallopian tube in just a few minutes. The closer to ovulation, the easier this journey is thanks to the mucus secreted in the cervix. Mucus with a consistency like egg white is most favorable. If the mucus is thick or dry, the journey is more difficult.
Many couples worry about sperm count when trying to conceive. However, that is only one factor to assess male fertility. There is also the possibility of their migration to meet the eggs. Predisposing factors include too high testicular temperature, psychological stress, side effects of medications, inadequate nutrition.
If they encounter spermicide, they do not die, but only reduce their motility. Spermicide is a method of birth control, with or without a condom, in a variety of forms such as cream, gel, foam, pill.
In couples undergoing assisted reproduction, such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF), sperm is extracted from semen , washed, and selected. They can survive in the incubator for up to 72 hours. Frozen sperm can survive for many years in the right environment. If there is a need to have a baby, the sperm is thawed and combined with the egg.