How Is Sperm Digested? We Asked Doctors So You Don’t Have To

The craziest intercourse concerns often feel to begin in a group chat. “You guys, what does sperm appear out as following currently being swallowed?” my buddy asked just one Sunday afternoon, presumably a couple of hrs following her Saturday-night time curiosity still left her apartment. In all honestly, we have been stumped. Even though we experienced formerly reviewed the execs and cons of swallowing compared to spitting, best blowjob guidelines, and oral-sexual intercourse positions, by no means experienced we ever taken a moment to method how sperm is…very well…processed.

This was our sticking level: semen (the ejaculate containing sperm) is just not rather the regularity of h2o, which would definitely come out in the type of pee. But it is also not as thick as foodstuff, which would stage to it currently being digested and excreted the way our meals are (aka as poop). So then how is semen processed? And if you swallow it, is there any nutritional profit?

For all people questioning the identical issues (but way too worried to check with), we made the decision to start a total-blown investigation into how semen is damaged down in the body, recruiting the help of two medical practitioners. Examine on to locate out what happens to semen immediately after it’s been swallowed. You know…for the sake of the group chat.

Specialists Featured in This Report:

Daniel Boyer, MD, is a practising physician with working experience in internal medication, pathology, and gynecology and obstetrics.

Justin Houman, MD, is a board-licensed urologist.

How Does Your Body Procedure Semen?

In buy to have an understanding of how semen is processed, it is vital to know what semen consists of. According to Daniel Boyer, MD, semen is a whole lot like meals in that it is created up of fluids and critical vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and glucose. This usually means that your entire body processes swallowed semen the similar way it does strong meals: “After ingested, [semen will] pass by the usual digestion process that foodstuff typically undergoes,” Dr. Boyer tells PS.

As for irrespective of whether semen arrives out as pee or poop, Dr. Boyer suggests it could be both. “The entire body treats semen elements just like those contained in regular food substances, and will arrive out of your overall body in the type of pee/stool as a byproduct of digestion.”

Are There Any Nutritional Benefits to Semen?

Celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian and Christina Aguilera say semen does anything from strengthening fertility to boosting your protein. But whilst there might be some other dietary benefits to swallowing semen, Dr. Boyer claims “the nutritional composition of semen is not significant sufficient to count on as a supply of vitamins and minerals for the system.”

With that in intellect, Dr. Boyer says that semen is filled with vitamins and minerals that could be beneficial for overall overall health, which include “depressive-antagonizing hormones like serotonin and oxytocin.” As Justin Houman, MD earlier explained to PS, the main components of semen incorporate sperm cells, h2o (which makes up the majority of its volume), a variety of proteins, fructose (which supplies electricity to the sperm cells), and ascorbic acid to guard the sperm from oxidative harm. Other minerals involve zinc, calcium, and magnesium. On the other hand, just one would have to consume intense quantities of semen to see any significant effect on nourishment.

Which is the last term for one particular of my group chat’s more unhinged threads. Make absolutely sure to maintain this information handy in scenario the topic ever comes up in a chat of your individual.

— Further reporting by Chandler Plante

Taylor Andrews is a PS Equilibrium editor who specializes in topics relating to sexual intercourse, interactions, courting, sexual wellness, psychological wellness, and far more.

Chandler Plante is an assistant editor for PS Overall health & Conditioning. Previously, she labored as an editorial assistant for Men and women journal and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Electronic Group. In her absolutely free time, she overshares on the world wide web, creating written content about continual illness, elegance, and incapacity.