The
mature sperm cell (spermatozoa) is 0.05 milliliters long.
It consists of a head, body and tail. The head is covered
by the ac cap and contains a nucleus of dense genetic material
from the 23 chromosomes.
It is
attached from the neck to the body containing mitochondria
that supply the energy for the sperm's activity. The tail
is made of protein fibers that contract on alternative sides,
giving a characteristic wavelike movement that drives the
sperm through the seminal fluid, which also supplies additional
energy.
Some sperm
have two heads or two tails and if the testes are too warm
they may die or spermatogenesis may not occur.
Sperm
swim at a rate of about 3mm (0.12 inches) per minute. That’s
an average, it’s different for every guy. Some sperm
cells are 'better' swimmers than others. Why? They need to
wave their tales more than 1000 times just to swim 1.25 cm
or a half an inch. Why some are better than others is still
a mystery to many fertility specialists. Anyway...
Sperm
cells are made in the testes where it takes about 72 days
for one sperm to grow. Sperm production requires a temperature
which is three to five degrees below body temperature. The
scrotum has a built-in thermostat, which keeps the sperm at
the correct temperature while they’re being stored. If
it becomes too cool on the outside, the scrotum will bring
the testicles closer to the body for warmth as you probably
know from jumping into a cold pool of water or ocean. That’s
why the testes hang away from the body -- so sperm can develop
at the temperature they need. (95° - 97° F or 35°
to 36° C)
Semen
contains small amounts of more than thirty elements, including
fructose, ascorbic acid, cholesterol, creatine, citric acid,
lactic acid, nitrogen, vitamin B12, and various salts and
enzymes. Let’s go back to the inside of the head of the
sperm. All normal cells have 46 chromosomes but sperm have
half that number or, 23. If and when the sperm joins ups with
the female’s, egg (ovum) which also has 23 chromosomes,
together they add up to 46 chromosomes. The middle section
controls the sperms activities. The sperm or (spermatozoa
-- which are the little swimming critters) make up only about
5% of what a man ejaculates each time he ejaculates. This
represents about 100 to 400 million of them! Therefore, they
are very, very tiny, in fact a single sperm is the smallest
cell in the body.
The rest of what a man ejaculates in his
ejaculate, which is about a teaspoonful (5 ml), is made up
of water, sugar, protein, vitamin C, zinc, and prostaglandins.
Semen or seminal fluid is the mixture of sperm and the secretions
of the seminal vesicles, prostate gland, and the bulbourethral
glands. Over the course of a guy’s life, he’ll produce
more than 12 trillion sperm. There’s some sexual health
trivia for you.
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