What Is Sperm & How is it Made?
What Is Sperm?
A sperm is a very tiny male sex cell. Under a microscope, sperm look just like tadpoles. A sperm cell is needed to fertilize a woman's egg (ova) to make a baby. Each sperm is made up of three parts. The head contains the genetic material needed for making a baby. The piece behind the sperm's head is the midpiece, which is the motor of the sperm. The sperm tail makes the sperm move so they can swim from the vagina to the uterus after ejaculation. These guys are not very fast swimmers. Sperm swim about .12 inches (3mm) per hour and they need to wave their tales more than 1000 times just to swim half an inch (1.25 cm).How Is Sperm Made?
Sperm is made in the testes where it takes about 72 days for one sperm to grow. Sperm production needs a temperature which is three to five degrees below body temperature. The scrotum (the sack that holds the balls) 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.How Many Sperm Are Released at a Time?
When a guy ejaculates - through masturbation, a wet dream or having sex - he releases semen. Semen is made up of sperm and other chemicals in the penis which help the sperm stay alive while they travel to the female's eggs. Every time a guy ejaculates, he releases between 400 and 500 million sperm (that may seem like a lot but a bull usually releases five billion of them.) Over the course of a guy's life, he'll produce more than 12 trillion sperm (tell that to your mom next time she accuses you of being lazy). If the sperm isn't released for a long time - the number of sperm in the scrotum will build up. Some may break up, others will dribble out and wash away when a guy goes to the bathroom - but most sperm will eventually come out in a wet dream.If you have more questions about sperm, puberty or anything else, send them to Kidzworld.
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