How long does it take for sperm to reach the fallopian tube?

When a man and a woman have sex during the pregnancy preparation period, without taking any contraceptive measures, if the man ejaculates inside the woman's body, the man's sperm will enter the woman's body, and then it will go to the fallopian tube to combine with the woman's egg, thus forming a fertilized egg, which will then enter the woman's uterus and implant. So how long will it take for the sperm to reach the fallopian tube?

Generally speaking, sperm can only live for no more than 8 hours in a woman's vagina. Then only a small fraction of the sperm will escape and continue on their way. Why is this? Because when a man ejaculates, the sperm in the semen can be protected by a large amount of fructose and enzymes that break down sugar in the semen. However, when the sperm enters the uterine cavity, it leaves the semen. The living conditions at this time are far worse than those in the semen, so its lifespan is greatly shortened. Poor quality sperm moves slowly and cannot reach the uterine cavity quickly, thus losing its vitality.

So, after the sperm enters the female body, how long can the sperm survive in the female body? Experts say: After the sperm passes through many checkpoints, only a few sperm can finally reach the fertilization site in the fallopian tube. However, as long as the sperm enters the fallopian tube, it has a strong fertilization ability. Of course, in the end only 1-2 sperms are lucky enough to combine with the egg, and the rest of the sperms will die within 24-36 hours. Only the sperm stored in the crypts of the cervical mucosa can live up to 2-6 days. Even so, its fertilization ability has been basically lost because the fertilization ability of sperm can only last for about 20 hours.

The egg has the strongest fertilization ability within 15 to 18 hours after being released from the ovary, and can maintain its fertilization ability for about 30 hours. After that, the egg begins to degenerate, and its fertilization ability rapidly weakens and disappears.

Although sperm ejaculated into the female reproductive tract can survive for up to 4 to 5 days, its strong fertilization ability lasts only for 1 to 2 days. That is to say, conception is only possible if sexual intercourse occurs within 1 to 2 days before or after a woman's ovulation.

Do you know the whole process of sperm implantation?

The male's sperm is ejaculated into the vagina along with the semen, passes through the cervix and uterus to reach the fallopian tube, and combines with the egg to form a fertilized egg. The smooth progress of this process is closely related to the activity of sperm and the physiological conditions of the female reproductive tract.

How does sperm enter the vagina?

During sexual intercourse between two sexes, after the semen is ejaculated into the vagina, most of it accumulates in the posterior fornix of the vagina, and the cervical opening is immersed in this pool of semen. Under normal circumstances, sperm can enter the cervical canal after a few minutes. The normal vaginal environment is acidic, which has important physiological significance for the self-cleaning function of the vagina, but is not conducive to the activity and survival of sperm. However, the seminal plasma, which is a mixture of secretions from the epididymis, seminal vesicles, prostate and bulbourethral glands, is alkaline and can dilute and neutralize the acidic fluid in the vagina. In addition, during sexual intercourse, the alkaline cervical secretions increase, which can make the area around the cervical opening become neutral or alkaline. All these create good conditions for sperm to survive and move in the vagina.

How does sperm pass through the cervix?

Whether sperm can pass through the cervix is ​​closely related to the biochemical properties of cervical mucus. The secretion of cervical mucus is directly affected by the levels of estrogen and progesterone secreted by the ovaries. Before ovulation, the mature follicles secrete a large amount of estrogen, which makes the cervical mucus thinner, clear and transparent like egg white, and the amount also increases. It contains nutrients such as sugar, vitamins and salts, which provide energy for sperm activity.

The cervix acts as a screening mechanism for sperm; only sperm with normal morphology and high motility can pass through the cervix smoothly. Furthermore, there is a substance in the seminal plasma that inhibits sperm activation and attaches to the sperm head. When the sperm passes through the cervical mucus, these substances can be removed and the sperm can gain the ability to fertilize. This process is called capacitation.