Even though the press is reporting more and more successes through cloning procedures, today it still takes an egg and a sperm to produce a life. What we humans consider a miracle can nevertheless be described quite precisely in its processes. What exactly is sperm, how does it behave and what are some interesting facts about this human fluid that can create life?
What is sperm?
Schematic diagram showing the anatomy and structure of the sperm cell and egg cell in humans. Click to enlarge. Sperm is a substance formed in the male body (testes) and stored in the epididymis until sperm is expelled from the body during ejaculation. If the ejaculate enters the woman’s vagina, encounters a fertilizable egg, and the egg is able to implant in the woman’s body, pregnancy occurs in the female body. The female body, on the other hand, is unable to produce sperm.
Anatomy and structure
As mentioned earlier, sperm is formed in the male testis from puberty onwards and is likewise stored in the male’s testis. Sperm consists of sperm cells, secretory fluid and skin cells of the tubules of the testis. The first sperm production is called spermarche, the first ejaculation is called ejacularche. Male ejaculation is about 2-6ml. 1ml of ejaculate contains between 20-150 million sperm, the percentage of sperm in the total ejaculate is about 0.5%. Sperm consists of a head, a middle piece and a flagellum (terminal piece), the terminal piece being shed after fertilization of the egg. The survivability of the shed sperm in a woman’s body is about four days, although sperm die very quickly when exposed to air. The individual sperm in humans is about 60µm small, so it is not visible to the naked eye.
Function and tasks
In order for humans or animals to produce offspring, it requires a fertilizable egg and a functional sperm. The sperm, which has entered the woman’s vagina with the ejaculate, swims through the vagina to the uterus to ultimately fertilize the egg somewhere along its journey between the fallopian tube and the uterus. After a few days, the fertilized egg can implant in the uterus. Then pregnancy occurs successfully. However, this can also be interrupted before birth, miscarriages can also occur at any time. Sperm of animals differ from the norms of human sperm. There are even some fish that do not release their sperm into the body of another fish, but release their sperm into the water, which then leads to fertilization of another fish. On the whole, however, the fertilization processes of humans and animals are similar. Fertilization with sperm only works in the respective species. Few exceptions form here so-called “liger”, a cross between lion and tiger and also the mule, a cross between donkey and horse. Otherwise, species-different crosses are not possible.
Diseases and ailments
The only function of sperm is to produce offspring together with an egg. Nevertheless, sperm-related diseases can occur. Sperm can transmit a number of diseases, the best-known example being the HIV virus, which can cause the fatal immunodeficiency disease AIDS. Hepatitis infections can also be passed on via semen. In the case of infection, it makes no difference whether sperm has been ingested vaginally, orally or anally. The risk of infection is the same, although anal intercourse involves a slightly increased risk of injury and thus a slightly increased risk of infection. Other diseases that can be transmitted through sexual intercourse include chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, or syphilis. It is also possible that colds can be transmitted through semen, which is still a matter of debate among experts. In very rare cases, allergies to sperm can occur, which has been observed both in women and very occasionally in men. Effective protection against STDs can only be achieved through abstinence or the use of an intact condom. Other contraceptive methods do not protect against communicable diseases.
Typical and common STDs
- Chlamydia (chlamydial infection).
- Syphilis
- Gonorrhea (gonorrhea)
- Genital warts (HPV) (genital warts)
- AIDS
- Ulcus molle (soft chancre)
