Scarleteen

Hello,
I read in another post recently that sperm isn't bacteria so it technically doesn't "die" just like skin cells aren't described by "dying." I also read in "Who's Afraid of Sperm Cells?" http://www.scarleteen.com/blog/patricia ... perm_cells that sperm is sensitive to pH, temperature and time. So I was wondering how sperm reacts, if at all, to substances such as ethyl alcohol. The pH of alcohol is around 7, and sperm is slightly alkaline...what would this do to the sperm? If sperm doesn't "die" then what occurs when it is not in ideal environments?

Also, I know that sperm thrives in moist environments. Moist to what extent? If it were on my skin or hand, for example, my skin could feel dry to the touch but it still has some moisture on it because it's skin (probably more moisture than a hard metal surface, for example). On a microscopic level is this considered a moist environment for sperm?

Thank you so much!

This is really outside the context of what we do here, and would be more in the purview of people working in IVF (though to some respect, not even then: people aren't generally just sitting around putting substances on sperm cells to see what happens just because). The piece you referenced was by a volunteer who did once work in that environment, which is why it was written from that perspective. She's no longer active here, however, and none of us here currently are in that field to get this into detail, in the respect anyone working in that realm even could. The work we do -- and what we choose to spend our time and resources on -- also is always work that has a practical use or application for our users, and this just really doesn't.

If you're asking these questions out of curiosity, then the place to look for answers to them is via fertility experts and medical texts for and studies about IVF. If you are asking because you want to prevent pregnancy, then these questions and answers aren't likely to help you do that, period. If that's what you want to know how to do, we are happy to discuss effective methods of contraception with you.