And that contains between 20 million and 300 million sperm cells.<\/p>\n
And these cells can take up to two and a half months to mature via a process called spermatogenesis.<\/p>\n
Once they’re ready to go, sperm wait in the epididymis \u2013 a tube that wraps around the testes.<\/p>\n
When the body is ready to ejaculate, the sperm are mixed with fluid from seminal vessels to create semen and head out into the world.<\/p>\n
Sperm cells can live up to five days in a woman’s body, but when they don’t get expelled through sex<\/a> or masturbation, something fascinating happens.<\/p>\n A scientific<\/a> simulation has shown the exact process, with Dr Smurf<\/a> on YouTube<\/a> explaining what happens.<\/p>\n With a shelf life of a few months (around 74 to 76 days), like any product, sperm have an expiration date.<\/p>\n However, the video shows that when this happens to sperm, instead of going bad, it goes through a process of ‘degeneration’.<\/p>\n When this happens, the sperm is broken down and reabsorbed into the epididymis, where its proteins are used to produce more sperm.<\/p>\n Sperm cells are made of structural components, like enzymes, zinc, and fructose. But if they aren’t reabsorbed into the body, they are instead released through a ‘wet dream’, Medical News Today says.<\/a><\/p>\n Unfortunately, things don’t always go to plan with sperm production.<\/p>\n Around one in 100 men don’t produce any sperm in their ejaculate, a condition called azoospermia, Medical News Today<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n And if you have fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen, which sounds like a lot but actually isn’t, that’s called oligospermia.<\/p>\n Some people even suffer from anejaculation, the inability to ejaculate, despite being able to orgasm and create sperm. Whether it occurs through a pelvic injury or another source, it can actually lead to infertility if not treated.<\/p>\n Then there’s retrograde ejaculation, which is when instead of leaving the body during orgasm, semen enters the bladder, resulting in cloudy urine and dry orgasms.<\/p>\n According to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>, many conditions can affect sperm production, including:<\/p>\n Varicose veins (swollen veins in the scrotum)Testicular traumaSTIs (chlamydia and gonorrhoea)Hypogonadism (low sex hormones)Hypothyroidism (thyroid production)Hyperprolactinemia (high levels of prolactin in the blood).<\/p>\n Environmental<\/a> factors, such as smoking, drinking, and prolonged exposure to heat, can also affect sperm production.<\/p>\n However, there are others who choose not to ejaculate for specific reasons.<\/p>\n If you’ve been on the internet long enough, then the phrase ‘No Nut November’ will be a familiar one. It is believed that a period of abstinence can improve sperm quality and increase testosterone; however, doctors have continuously dispelled this rumor.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Ejaculation](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0OTQ5ZWE4ZTE2ZTQ2MzA0OS9ibHQ4NmI5YTgy.webp\"\/)
Ejaculation is a whole process (Getty Stock Images)<\/p>\n![\"Sperm](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0OTQ5ZWE4ZTE2ZTQ2MzA0OS9ibHQ4ZmZmYmQ2.webp\"\/)
Sperm travels via the epididymis before beinge expelled from the body (Getty stock images)<\/p>\n![\"Numerous](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/aHR0cHM6Ly9ldS1pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmNvbS92My9hc3NldHMvYmx0OTQ5ZWE4ZTE2ZTQ2MzA0OS9ibHRmMmE5NzMz.webp\"\/)
Numerous health conditions can prevent decent sperm quality (Getty stock images)<\/p>\n