There’s a widely shared urban myth that says if you have unprotected sex, a man’s semen will stay in your body “forever.” This claim is false.
Sperm DNA fragmentation tests measure the percentage of damaged sperm cells in a sample. This can help reproductive specialists guide patients towards the fertility treatments that are best for them.
Age of the Female
Sperm cells can survive inside a woman’s reproductive tract for up to five days. The length of time that they last depends on where a woman is in her menstrual cycle and how consistent her cervical mucus is. The consistency of the mucus changes as a woman nears ovulation. It becomes thicker, providing just the right hosting environment to protect sperm while still allowing movement.
During ovulation, the cervix has another method for holding on to sperm, known as cervical “crypts.” The crypts are small channels that open off the cervix. During the fertile window, changes in hormones alter the consistency of the crypts, offering a temporary host environment that can hold sperm cells until they are ready to fertilize an egg.
As women age, their fertility declines due to normal, natural changes in the ovaries. The quality of a woman’s eggs decreases with age, and she becomes less likely to get pregnant and have miscarriages as she approaches her mid-to late 30s.
A viral post that circulated on social media in 2017 made several claims, including that women absorb and retain male DNA from men they have sex with. The post also claimed that the DNA from a man’s semen can live inside a woman for decades and can enter her bloodstream, brain and spine. However, this is not true and there’s no scientific evidence to back it up.
Environment
The environment of the female reproductive tract can affect how long sperm DNA stays in her. Certain infections, medications, and lifestyle factors can decrease sperm quality and the time they stay in her body. Infections like sexually transmitted infections increase inflammation in the reproductive tract, which can make it harder for sperm to survive. Additionally, certain medications can cause the cervix to thicken, making it more difficult for sperm to pass through.
A popular method for testing sperm DNA is the comet assay, which uses electrophoresis to visualize single- and double-strand DNA breaks in a sample. The results of this test can help physicians assess a man’s sperm DNA integrity and predict pregnancy outcomes. However, it is important to note that the comet assay can sometimes underestimate DNA damage due to entanglement of the strands.
Another common way to measure sperm DNA is the alkaline comet assay, which detects adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the sample and helps to identify the presence of damaged sperm DNA. This test can help physicians assess a man’s fertility and determine if he would benefit from sperm vitrification or IVF/ICSI.
Researchers have found that sperm with low levels of DNA damage has higher live birth rates after IVF or ICSI. Therefore, it is crucial to assess a man’s sperm quality prior to starting fertility treatment.
Infections
Sperm DNA survives for up to five days inside a woman’s reproductive tract after intercourse, during which it swims toward the egg and attempts to fertilize it. After this time, any remaining sperm cells die. The cervix also holds on to sperm in cervical “crypts,” which serve as temporary storage spaces until the woman ovulates.
Sperm cell DNA is particularly susceptible to damage from oxidative stress, which occurs when oxygen molecules attack the cells and bind to their chromosomes, causing them to break down and disintegrate into single nucleotides that no longer function as DNA. The rate of oxidative stress increases with aging, smoking, drug use and other lifestyle choices that increase a person’s exposure to free radicals. Infections and medications can also cause sperm cell DNA damage.
Whether a man’s semen stays in a woman’s body depends on several factors, including the severity of the infection and any medications she takes. For example, some infections are known to decrease fertility by making it more difficult for sperm to fuse with the egg cells in a woman’s uterus. Antibiotics and anti-fungal medicines can also negatively impact fertility by reducing sperm cell motility. Fortunately, there are several tests that can be used to assess the quality of a man’s semen and identify sperm cell DNA damage. These include the sperm chromatin structure assay, the TUNEL assay and the nick translation test.
Medications
The length of time that sperm dna stays in the female body depends on a variety of factors. These include STIs, infections, and medications. Antibiotics and antifungal medications, for example, can decrease fertility. They can also cause sperm DNA damage. Therefore, women should not take these medications if they are trying to become pregnant.
In addition, there are several other medications that can cause sperm DNA fragmentation. Some of these medications include methotrexate (Methotrexate, Trexall), sulfasalazine (Rifadin, Motrin), and ustekinumab (Stelara, Janssen).
It is important to note that it is not necessary for sperm DNA to stay in the female body. In fact, it is very unlikely that sperm cells will survive in the vagina, cervix, or uterus.
Moreover, it is also important to understand that sperm DNA can remain in the cervical canal for up to three days. This is because there are special channels in the cervical canal called crypts that serve as temporary storage spaces for sperm. These crypts can help prevent sperm from drying out or being blocked by the surrounding mucus.
The cervix can also be more fertile around the time of ovulation, as it changes its composition and provides just the right hosting environment for sperm. This is because changes in hormones can actually create a temporary “fertile window” where it’s possible for sperm to fertilize the egg before it is released.
