The Sperm Meets Egg Plan: Getting Pregnant Faster

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Before you start trying, you may want to understand more about your fertility and learn exactly how you get pregnant. Conception is the moment when egg and sperm meet. It can take anything from 45 minutes to 12 hours for a sperm to reach your fallopian tubes, which is where conception usually happens. However, sperm can survive inside your body for up to seven days, so conception can happen at any point in the week after unprotected sex, if you’re ovulating. Inside the woman’s body: how an egg is hatched The mortality rate for sperm is very high and only a few dozen ever make it to the egg. The rest get trapped, lost (they may head up the wrong fallopian tube) or die along the way. For the few that get near the egg, the race isn’t over. Each one has to work frantically to penetrate the egg’s outer shell and get inside before the others. The egg needs to be fertilised within 24 hours of its release. When the hardiest sperm of the bunch makes it through, the egg changes instantaneously to prevent any others getting in. It’s like a protective shield that clamps down over the egg at the exact moment the first sperm is safely inside.

In humans, conception begins when a sperm fertilises an egg. In female reproductive organs, ovaries produce the eggs and the hormones that regulate the ovulation cycle. Wallace WHB, Kelsey TW. 2010. Human ovarian reserve from conception to the menopause. PloS One 5(1): e8772. journals.plos.org Opens a new window [Accessed May 2020] The function of the female orgasm is less clear. Theories include that it strengthens the bond between partners, or that uterine contractions help the sperm along their way somehow. We know that a woman doesn’t need to orgasm for conception to happen, though. Uterine contractions happen even without you having an orgasm.

Cox E, Takov V. 2019. Embryology, ovarian follicle development. StatPearls. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Opens a new window [Accessed May 2020]

Humans reproduce through sexual reproduction. This produces offspring that are genetically unique because half of their genetic material - DNA - comes from each parent. Hirsch IH. 2019. Overview of male sexual function. www.msdmanuals.com Opens a new window [Accessed May 2020] In male reproductive organs, the scrotum holds the testes, which produce sperm and sex hormones, including testosterone. During ejaculation, the sperm pass through the sperm duct and combine with seminal fluid produced by the glands to create semen, which exits the body through the penis.

Bianchi E, Wright GJ. Bianchi E, et al. J Cell Biol. 2023 Feb 6;222(2):e202301035. doi: 10.1083/jcb.202301035. Epub 2023 Jan 19. J Cell Biol. 2023. PMID: 36656648 Free PMC article. The male reproductive system has two testes (singular: testis). These are contained in a bag of skin called the scrotum. The testes have two functions: Komondor KM, Bainbridge RE, Sharp KG, Iyer AR, Rosenbaum JC, Carlson AE. Komondor KM, et al. J Gen Physiol. 2023 Oct 2;155(10):e202213258. doi: 10.1085/jgp.202213258. Epub 2023 Aug 10. J Gen Physiol. 2023. PMID: 37561060 NHS. 2020. How can I improve my chances of becoming a dad? NHS, Common health questions. www.nhs.uk Opens a new window [Accessed October 2022]