How many sperms does it take...
 

Inspired from the post in meaning of life, (thanks ngdawg) I was inclined to ask, how many sperms are there in one session of ejaculation that can actually impregnate. I heard that there is a special kinda sperm, you know, the ONE who will conquer all depths, become the unborn delinquent that comes to life.

Now, were assuming of course a male who's physically fit and inherently does not need much to get off, er... let's take crompsin, goes 40 days/nights style celibate abstinence. When he does, (backslide on the 37th day that is) finally blow a load. And we were to count the fine regimen of specimen actually capable of fertilizing an egg, out of an average of 16 million, just how many would be good for the job?!?!

The minimum number of viable sperm per ejaculation to be considered fertile is 20 million, with at least 50 percent showing forward mobility under a microscope (presumably they take an action shot for this?) The number per normal adult male ejaculation is 90 to 160 million, with the upper probable limit (4 standard deviations) falling at roughly 400 million. Forward mobility of 50% is once again considered normal and no more than 10% should show signs of cellular damage or underdevelopment.

In a mililiter of semen, there are anywhere from 20 million to 100 million little swimmers. Only 2,000 of those will make the journey.
While it only takes "one to do the trick", that's only after the egg's membrane has been beaten into submission but several hundred others.
It is really fascinating to see them under a microscope. Some will swim in circles like they're drunk, others are shaped funny and then there's those champs that just wanna hit it.
Physically fit has absolutely NOTHING to do with motility and count. Motility is the action of sperm that shows if it's got the right stuff. A low count usually includes this as doctors don't count the circle swimmers and oddly shaped ones. A man can have a high count and low motility. He can be a world-class vegetarian athlete and not be able to hit the side of a barn with a well-aimed ejaculate. On the other hand, that beer-swigging, chain smoking overweight couch potato might be carrying a few million mini-studs.

(ah, the things we learn with 10 years of fertility treatments) :p

Sperm. Sheep not sheeps.


Hrm, trust a kiwi like myself to associate sheep and sperm...

Apparently, mixing sperm together from two different men produces an impressive battlefield.

Yeah, I heard about it in a book called Sperm Wars. Only a small number of sperm actually go for the goal, while the rest, especially those strange looking sperm with more than one head and/or tail, are there for the sole perpose of fighting off another men's sperm!

Sperm competition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LOL, this is interesting. And also, what actually prevents two sperm from actually fertilizing the same egg? Look at it this way, the reason there is so many sperm is to ensure one actually does the job. Now, While the egg is being beaten into submission, when the membrane finally gives in, what are the chances that two good sperm are at there at the same time this happens. And when it does, what would become of the egg, would it go bad and is discarded or does it simply randomly ejects one??

About a woman's cycle, does she only produce one egg at a time? What would happen if she produced two, at both ovaries, and they both happen to be fertilized? I know twins happen when an egg splits after fertilization.

Why am I the example?

Marketing?
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41UGJsMLI9L.jpg

There are fraternal and identical twins. Two eggs being released and fertilized would result in fraternal twins. They don't look alike.

An egg splitting after fertilization results in identical twins.

im a twin and my twin looks nothing like me.

im 'white' and my twin is 'black'. no kidding