The spermatozoa attack in a whole cluster, but only one reaches its target. Strongest. There are from 120 to 260 million of them in a milliliter of sperm. Without sperm, there would be no new life. Where do sperm come from and what is their role in fertilization?

First sawspermAntonie van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch cloth merchant. This avid naturalist constructed a microscope that magnified the image 270 times. Through it, he looked at drops of blood, water and… humansperm . There he saw floating "lively fluff," as he called it. They were not protozoa, yet they were moving.

It happened at the end of the 17th century. Scientists became interested in the mysterious fluff. They were especially intrigued by the sperm head. Today we know that despite its microscopic size (2.5 by 4.6 microns) it fulfills a very important mission: in the act of creating a new life, it transmits part of the father's genetic code to his offspring.

Where are the sperm formed?

This may sound a bit paradoxical, but sperm formation always starts with a signal sent from a specialized area of ​​the brain called the hypothalamus. Hence the command to produce hormones that not only initiate, but also support the production of sperm.

  • Semen analysis - which results from the sperm test

But the real sperm factory istesticles . There is a reason they are in the scrotum, outside the body. As a result, they have a slightly lower temperature. Normal for our body (36.6 degrees C) would reduce or even stop sperm production.

Each testicle consists of several hundred microscopic tubules, called seminal tubules. The inside of the kernel resembles a plate of spaghetti, on which the threads of pasta are tangled up without order. This apparent mess, however, is needed by sperm cells to develop properly as they pass through the labyrinth of tubules.

How long do sperm live?

Sperm development

The entire cycle of sperm formation and maturation, i.e. spermatogenesis, takes about 72 days. It begins in sperm-forming cells. Before the sperm reaches maturity, it goes through several stages of development: First, the head develops, which draws energy and nutrients from the so-called support cells. When it is rightshaped, fully developed, sperm is released into microscopic ducts in the epididymis. About three weeks will stay here, wandering from place to place. During this time, he becomes fully mature to fulfill his life mission.

  • Seminogram, i.e. semen analysis. How to Prepare? What is it?

It is set in motion by a switch made of very elastic fibers that have the unique ability to shrink. Thanks to this, the sperm will be able to efficiently pursue its goal, i.e. the egg. It shows fertility and mobility for days, but if it does not ejaculate, it loses its vitality and eventually disappears. For sperm to develop properly, a man's body must produce the right amount of the hormones FHS, LH and testosterone at the same time. If any of them are missing, less sperm will be produced or they will not be motile enough.

  • Intermittent ratio: pre-ejaculate contains sperm
Important

Boys' sex glands don't produce sperm. This state of affairs lasts until adolescence (around 14 years of age in our climate zone). Then the production of male hormones begins, which stimulate the sex glands. A young man enters the reproductive period between 17 and 19 years of age, and his testicles are capable of producing sperm. The work of the male sex glands never stops. An elderly gentleman's body (even as young as his 90s) can also produce sperm.

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