Semen consists of two main ingredients: sperm and seminal plasma. The sperm is drawn in the picture to the left and ih has the following components you can see in the image: head, midpiece and tail.
Sperm facts
• it takes 5 up to 40 minutes to become watery and dry;
• average sperm volume is 2 ml or higher;
• pH 7.2-8.0 (base, such that it neutralizes the acidity in the vaginal canal);
• normal sperm count: 20 million spermatozoa/ml;
• average spermatozoa in one ejaculation: 40 million;
• motility: 50% or more with forward progression out of 25% with rapid progression within 1 hour of ejaculation.
Semen appearance and consistency
The appearance of sperm is in most cases white, but grayish or yellowish sperm is also normal. If, however, the appearance of your sperm is pink or red, you should see a doctor, or, better yet, a doctor should see you because this indicates a health issue that you should have checked out.
The seminal fluid is a base fluid, with a pH of 7.2-8.0 that neutralizes the acidic environment of the vaginal canal and it also provides nutrients to the spermatozoa. After ejaculation, sperm’s consistency goes pretty rapidly into liquid form, and then it dries; this happens to allow sperm motility to be efficient, so that sperm can move easily through the vagina, towards the female egg.
Disease transmission
Semen is one major sexually transmitted diseases carrier. It is also believed that sperm can cause, besides allergies, an immunosuppression effect in the body when introduced in the bloodstream of lymph. This was tested and evidence dates back as far as 1898.
Semen allergies are rare, but some people may experience allergic reactions to the seminal fluid and symptoms include vaginal itching, redness, swelling, or blisters. Difficulty in breathing may also be experienced in more severe allergic reactions, but this is very rare and it can be easily prevented by using condoms.
Sperm DNA testing
Was introduced in 1985 by Dr. Alec Jeffreys and it is stated that no more than 2 people can have their vast majority of their DNA sequence in common, that’s why genetic fingerprinting is nearly flawless.
Several DNA testing methods are available: RFLP (Restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis, PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) analysis, AmpFLP (Amplified fragment length polymorphism) and the list continues.
