Sperm and egg life span

[Ihatemyusername]

I have read sperm can live on out of body surfaces for 20-60 minutes. Is this true? Most places here say 20 only, 30 at most, so are there any conditions in which it can live (and be viable) for 60 minutes or even more, just sitting out in the open?

I have a similar question about the female egg. Most places say it can live 24 hours but I have heard 12-24 or 24-48 hours. I even read somewhere it can live up to 72 hours. Can it really vary that much?

Oh while I'm asking, I've also heard sperm can live in a female for 3-5 days in most places but some say up to 7 but I read one study saying up to 2 week!

Why is there so much variation in info?

[Ihatemyusername]

Is this an okay question? I know there are other articles on your site about these things I just wonder why there's such a wide variety of information from so many people. Are they misinformed or is it just specific to the individual and the situation?

[Heather]

It's fine to ask. It's just that there's really nothing to add here to what we can actually answer that doesn't already exist on the site.

The thing is, though, that we can never speak for anyone's else's content, nor for random data. We don't know what you're looking at, how you're interpreting it (and if you're reading it correctly), nor what "most places" even are to you: that could be looking at actual study data, that could be random websites, that could be what's written on the bathroom wall somewhere, for all we know. Same goes with "many people" a grouping so vague we couldn't possibly address them, having no clue who these many people are or what you are reading from them or hearing them say.

So, what you're asking us ultimately just isn't something we can really answer in some respect. And, of course, the answer to nearly any question about how there can be deviations in anything about the human body and what is reported about it is usually a) because bodies are highly diverse and also b) because studies, and their specifics, as well as reporting on them, also vary widely.

Sperm cells aren't bacteria: they don't really "live" or "die," at least not any more so than, say, skin cells or white blood cells. (And IME, this view of them often tends to play a role in people thinking about what they can and can't do, or how reproduction does or doesn't work, in a highly oversimplified and often inaccurate way.) Sperm cells need a very specific environment to potentially do the only job they exist for, and once outside the body, they have to be stored very carefully if they're to be used for that purpose. You can find information on that here: Who's Afraid of Sperm Cells?.

Ovum also don't "live" or "die." How it works with them when it comes to their ability to be fertilized by sperm cells is complex, and not anywhere near as simple as how long it can take for an ovum to be moved from a fallopian tube to the uterus, a process that generally takes a few days. For information about that and the rest of this whole process, see here: Human Reproduction: A Seafarer's Guide.