{"id":183,"date":"2021-03-30T10:02:41","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T14:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.oviahealth.com\/guide\/183\/how-long-do-sperm-live\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T11:38:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:38:19","slug":"how-long-do-sperm-live","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/183\/how-long-do-sperm-live\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s the lifespan of\u00a0sperm after ejaculation?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Even though you may have already taken&nbsp;sex-ed during middle school, before trying to conceive or while trying not to get pregnant, it&#8217;s important to brush up on a few basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s the lifespan of sperm after intercourse?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An important aspect of fertility and pregnancy<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/107514\/fertility-sperm-donation-101\/\"> is sperm<\/a>, and the lifespan of sperm after ejaculation completely depends on where it&#8217;s living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inside the vagina<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>How long sperm live depends on where the sperm are deposited. Sperm inside the vagina can live within cervical mucus or the upper genital tract for three to five days, allowing fertilization to occur so long as the sperm are living.\u00a0This is why\u00a0the fertile window is\u00a0six days long \u2014 it includes the five days leading up to ovulation\u00a0and the day of ovulation. Once an egg is released, it\u00a0is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/34\/what-is-fertile-window\">viable for 24 hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Outside of the body<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Outside of the body, sperm can survive in semen for up to a few hours because they require precise conditions of warmth and humidity to survive. Sperm can be preserved for weeks when semen is stored at a lowered temperature, and for years when semen is frozen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/guide\/184\/can-i-use-lube-while-ttc\">Can I use lube while TTC?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/guide\/187\/could-you-have-a-sperm-allergy\">Could I have a sperm allergy?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Landon Trost, MD. &#8220;How long do sperm live after ejaculation?&#8221;\u00a0<em>MayoClinic.\u00a0<\/em>Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, May 1 2015. Web.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eileen Bailey. &#8220;How long does sperm live outside the body?&#8221;\u00a0<em>HealthCentral.\u00a0<\/em>Remedy Health Media, LLC.,\u00a0Jul 13 2016. Web.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We talk about eggs a lot around here, but sperm is a pretty big part of the conception equation too &#8211; you do need sperm to make a baby, after all. So after ejaculation, just how long can sperm live? If it&#8217;s been a while since you sat through sex-ed, we&#8217;ve got answers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":154902,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ovia_author_name":"","ovia_author_prefix":"","ovia_author_image":"","ovia_content_type_id":"176","ovia_product_mode":"2","ovia_days_from_signup":"49","ovia_days_from_lmp":"","ovia_days_from_baby_birth":"","ovia_days_from_enroll":"","ovia_health_module_days_from":"","ovia_article_for_email_days_from":"","ovia_health_module":"","ovia_legacy_id2":"183","ovia_ttc":"1","ovia_article_subtype":"","ovia_health_symptom":"","ovia_partner_id":"","ovia_partner_custom_group":"","ovia_legacy_category":"113","ovia_legacy_category2":"","ovia_content_url_id":"35000","ovia_include_share_buttons":"","ovia_fertility_goal":"2","ovia_secondary_module":"","ovia_trimester":"","ovia_child_age":"","ovia_share_image":"","ovia_more_menu_image":"","ovia_button1_url":"","ovia_days_from_postpartum":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"fert-category":[24,33,10,22],"preg-category":[],"parent-category":[],"fert-tag":[185,156,158,157,191,184,227,203],"preg-tag":[],"parent-tag":[],"class_list":["post-183","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","fert-category-fertility-signs","fert-category-health-and-wellness","fert-category-reproductive-health","fert-category-sex-for-pregnancy","fert-tag-communication-with-partner","fert-tag-ovulation-cycle","fert-tag-ovulation-symptoms-and-signs","fert-tag-ovulation-tracking","fert-tag-patient-self-advocacy","fert-tag-sex","fert-tag-sperm-donation","fert-tag-timing-sex"],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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