As a sex educator, I’ve heard my fair share of slang terms for semen: cum, jizz, baby gravy, spooge, wad, seed, man chowder, etc., but no matter what you call it, few people actually know what’s in it.
So let’s break it down. Semen should not be used synonymously with sperm; sperm is just one of the ingredients of semen. In a healthy man, there are roughly 300-500 million sperm ejaculated from the penis. Sperm are produced in the testicles, mature in the epididymis, and exit through the vas deferens/urethra. Along the way, sperm join up with fluid from the prostate gland and the seminal vesicles.
The total volume of semen in any given ejaculation depends on a lot of different factors but, in general, is somewhere between a teaspoon and tablespoon.
The seminal vesicles make up 50-70% of the seminal fluid. These glands produce a yellowish, alkaline, nutrient-rich fluid which helps neutralize the acidity of the vagina, prolonging the life span and increasing motility of sperm.
The prostate gland produces a milky white fluid that makes up 20-30% of the seminal fluid. The prostate is also where the urethra joins with the vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm up from the testicles and epididymis – see diagram).
There’s another gland worth talking about even though it does not technically contribute to the volume of semen. The Cowper’s glands, or bulbourethral glands, are about the size of a pea and produce a clear, slippery fluid during sexual arousal. About the time that an erection occurs, these glands release a small drop of pre-ejaculatory fluid that lubricates the urethra, neutralizes trace amounts of acidic urine, and may also clean out any sperm that were left behind from a recent ejaculation. This is why it is not safe to play the “just the tip” game and why the withdrawal method isn’t effective. Just to be clear: pre-cum, or pre-ejaculate, CAN have sperm in it, and CAN get someone pregnant. I should also mention that an HIV-positive person’s pre-ejaculatory fluid carries HIV and can infect his partner, particularly via anal sex. This applies to other STDs, as well.
Ok, that was probably WAY more than you wanted to know about semen. Oh well, consider yourself schooled.
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