Sperm life - 48 hrs? 7 days? Anyone know what the true answer is...

[Dowk31]

Hey everyone, I have been reading so many different things on google regarding sperms life frame. Has anyone been told by a professional how long it lives for?

Think our doc said 48 hours x

I have heard 3-5 days from our consultant. But I go by the lowest minimum so take it as 3 days during fertile period.

Could it differ between men? I am not basing this on anything but I wonder if that's why it takes some people longer to get pregnant than others - that some men's sperm lives a long time and some only live for 24 hours or something.

But as I say, that is not based on anything at all!! Other than everything I read tells me something different

Some 'super' sperm can last up to 7 days. However, this has to be in the right conditions. Cervical mucus has to be nourishing and non hostile. If the conditions are not right and are hostile then the sperm will die instantly. Usually it is 3-5 days, again in the right conditions x

Well I know when dh had to do a sample he had to get it to the hospital for testing within 2 hours as apparently they start to die around then so the result wouldn't be a true indication any later than that!

But I think from a contraception risk pointof view they say up to 7 days just incase there is a super sperm lurking about !

It depends if it's inside or outside the body....

outside the body they don't live for very long like Fairylea says but I thought it takes sperm about 3 days to reach and fertilise an ovum, obviously weaker sperm can die on the journey but lifespan for sperm must be a median of at least 72hrs otherwise we would have no human race

Thanks for all the replies! I suppose every man could be different, my DH went for testing due to his brothers having to go through IVF and was told his sperm was satisfactory?!? Not the response I thought we wld get. I wasn't aware that sperm can take upto 3 days to reach the egg so thanks very much for that info :) suppose the way to be safe is dtd every couple of days as people say. Just worried DH will get fed up. Month 2 of trying should commence Mon/Tues - woo hoo