How do sperm “swim”?

Question

This might sound stupid but it's been really annoying me. For sperm to swim there has to be some form of liqid in the uterus and fallopian tubes. I initally thought that they swam in the semen, but it's impossible for semen to defy gravity in the uterus...?

Answer 1

Welcome to the Birds and the Bees my friend :o)

A woman is fertile for only around 30% of her entire menstrual cycle, this is the day of ovulation and the days prior to ovulation when fertile cervical mucus is produced – this is the fluid in question, this is produced by the cervix to seal the opening to avoid dirt and bacteria entering into the uterus causing infection, but during and leading to ovulation it thins and the pH increases.

Cervical mucus serves two purposes;

1. Provides a means for the sperm to swim through the vagina to reach the egg.
2. Keeps sperm alive within the acidic environment of the vagina.

The mucus has a fern-like quality to it, so fertile quality cervical mucus is more fern-like in structure helping the sperm swim through it more easily – this is one of the ways hormonal birth control works, by making the cervical mucus too thick it prevents sperm mobility, the fertile quality of the cervical mucus also makes sex selection possible [see Shettles method].

The mucus is detectable to some women because it is slimy, often stretchy and does not evaporate, where as discharge is more of a milky-like fluid, thus why this cervical mucus is used as a fertility sign in women trying to conceive or trying to avoid conception.

Of course their tails have something to do with it, as too does ejaculation to some degree and female orgasm – granted however not every man ejaculates to the same length and speed yet this does not effect chances of conception, it just makes it easier if it is already high up in the vagina, orgasm in women it is believed also means the cervix moves to 'meet' the sperm within the vagina.

Answer 2

Yes it does defy gravity to a certain extent, but not completely. That's why when men ejaculate, it is with such a thrust, because they need that burst to defy the gravity to get upward into the fallopian tube. The actual speed of semen is about 28 miles per hour. So regardless of gravity, if you throw something upward at 28 miles per hour, it's gonna go up before it comes down.

Answer 3

That's what their little tails are for -- they wiggle back and forth, similar to the motion of a fish's tail. Pretty darn strong for their size, too.

They don't really need much fluid to "swim" in; they do 'defy gravity'-- of course some of the semen enters the uterus, but it's not as if there's a heck of a lot of room in there, so there's plenty of moisture in there to support their journey to the fallopian tubes.

Answer 4

They have little tails!!! actually the semen helps get them to the tubes then there are little hairlike dudes that help them along

Answer 5

They swim in the juices with little flippers

Answer 6

I studied human biology last yr and for sperm to swim, they need energy (fructose) and something else haha, I cant remember.

Its something his hormones create anyway.

Believe it or not, i passed haha!

Answer 7

its called bad luck, trust me

Answer 8

doggy paddle. lol i dont kno

Answer 9

the backstroke.....................