This is how often you need to ejaculate for stronger swimmers

For years, men trying to conceive – or undergoing fertility treatment – have been told to abstain from ejaculation for anywhere between two days and one week to ‘build up’ sperm count.

But new research suggests that strategy might be due for a rethink.

A major new analysis led by researchers at Oxford University has found that sperm doesn’t age particularly well when it’s left sitting around.

In fact, the longer it’s stored in the male body, the worse it performs.

Scientists analysed data from 115 studies involving nearly 55,000 men, alongside animal research, and found a consistent pattern: sperm quality declines with time.

Abstaining led to more DNA damage, reduced motility (aka slower swimmers), and lower overall viability.

In other words, leaving sperm to ‘marinate’ isn’t doing it any favours.

So how often should you ejaculate?

According to the research though, a gap of around 48 hours between ejaculations could actually improve sperm quality.

The longer participants abstained before providing a sample, the more their sperm showed DNA damage and oxidative stress, along with reduced sperm motility (movement) and viability.

While no difference was observed in terms of fertilisation success, biologist and lead author, Dr Krish Sanghvi, says the findings of the study reveal ‘a biologically meaningful and important effect.’
It also bolsters the results of a recent clinical trial involving 453 couples undergoing IVF, where pregnancy rates were 46% when men abstained for less than two days before treatment, compared to 36% for those who waited between two and seven days.

So, when it comes to actually getting pregnant, the latest science indicates quality may matter more than (or at least as much as) quantity.

And although this doesn’t mean previous advice is wrong, experts highlight the importance of striking a balance.

‘All we recommend is that clinicians and couples reconsider whether long abstinence is always good, because abstinence leads to deterioration in sperm quality,’ Sanghvi told The Guardian.

‘If sperm quantity is the only thing that matters for a clinic or couple, then sexual abstinence is not necessarily a bad thing.

But usually fertilisation success will be determined not only by how many sperm there are but the quality of the sperm too, for example in IVF.’

Why does sperm quality drop?

Sperm cells are surprisingly fragile.

Over time, they’re exposed to oxidative stress, which damages their DNA, and they gradually run out of energy – making them slower and less capable of fertilising an egg.

‘Because sperm are highly mobile and have minimal cytoplasm, they quickly exhaust their stored energy reserves and have limited capacity for repair,’ explained Oxford study co-lead author Dr Rebecca Dean.

‘This makes storage particularly damaging compared to other types of cells.’
As such, regular ejaculation may essentially ‘flush out’ older, damaged sperm and make way for newer, healthier ones.

When it’s too frequent, however, sperm counts may be lower, so somewhere in the middle could be the sweet spot between strong swimmers and plenty of them.

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.