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Does sperm get old/unhealthy without sex

If my partner has not ejaculated (either with sex or masturbtion) for over a long time will this affect the health of the sperm? We will ttc this month but we haven't had sex in a long time due the fact we have a full on toddler and are both exhausted! can the sperm be unhealthy? I know stupid question but surely I'm not the only one wondering!!

2 Answers • 8 years ago


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Hi, I think they don't get unhealthy as such but the ejaculate can contain a lot of dead sperm if the man has not ejaculated in a long time. Most websits suggest that if trying for a baby then have your partner ejaculate once in 4 days atleast so that if you have sex only during ovulation then you get good quality healthy sperm. Most men do masturbate on occasion so hard to believe that your partners sperm is that old but I guess it is possible! ;)

8 years ago


There are a couple factors that determine the health of a semen sample. First is motility, or the percentage of sperm that are moving. You will have the highest percentage of moving sperm with a fresher sample, meaning your partner has recently "released" his swimmers by whatever means. The longer he holds them, the more immotile sperm he will have and the motile sperm can get lazy. Second is overall count. The longer he holds them, the higher his overall count will be but if he holds it too long more will not be moving. Third is morphology, or the shape of his sperm. A certain percentage of sperm are shaped abnormally and have trouble getting to the egg... messed up tails or misshapen heads, etc. There isn't much you can do about morphology though. So you have to find a balance between holding them to get a higher count and releasing them to get fresher swimmers. Best is to release them a few days before the big ovulation day and then hold them.

8 years ago


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