Men produce millions of sperm every day, but only one (in some cases two, and less frequently more) will be the one who, after a dangerous race through the uterus and fallopian tubes, will penetrate the ovum and conceive a new being. .
The average of each ejaculation is about 200 million sperm (which is said soon), but not all have the same purpose. An investigation led by the Ginemed fertility clinic, has managed to identify its function in different stages of ejaculate and have found that the sperm of the first phase of the ejaculate are more effective in conceiving.
The ejaculate has always been considered as a whole, but it could be more complex than is believed. The sperm of the first phase of the ejaculate son more numerous, they move more and present a better quality DNA than the laggards.
With these characteristics, the first sperm are the most suitable for fertilizing the ovule, while the function of the sperm of the second phase is that no sperm of another male has a chance to fertilize.
The first phase represents between 15 and 45% of the volume of the ejaculate, it is rich in spermatozoa, acid phosphatase, citric acid, magnesium and zinc, which exert a protective effect on sperm. The second phase represents 70 to 90% of the total volume and is composed of secretions of the seminal vesicles rich in reactive oxygen species, elements that can cause damage to the sperm.
It is useful data for semen samples that are used in assisted reproduction techniques. Normally they are usually collected in a single boat, in which the sperm of both phases are mixed. According to experts, the fractional collection of the ejaculate, which is already in use in some assisted reproduction clinics, would improve sperm quality simply and without cost which are used in fertilization.
