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From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Semen (pronounced SEE-men or SEE-mən) is the liquid that comes out of a man's penis when he orgasms. He can do this either by sex or masturbating. some men and women have the habit of taking the semen in to their mouth, when they do fellatio. Taste of the semen could be sour and salty.
This fluid is usually a white, gooey substance. Semen makes a clot almost right after ejaculation, forming a sticky, jelly-like liquid. This function helps it stick to the cervix (the entrance to the uterus, located at the end of the vagina) after intercourse. Sperms remain relatively immobile within this clot. Semen liquefies again in 5 to 40 minutes, becoming runny and clear, allowing it to enter the uterus gradually through the cervical canal. PSA (prostate specific antigen) is a constituent of prostatic fluid which is responsible for dissolving the clot, freeing the sperm, and so making them much more active.
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[change] Words
The English word "semen" comes from the Latin word sēmen, which means "seed".[1] In fact, "seed" was an old-fashioned name for semen.[2] The Latin word sēmen itself came from another Latin word, serěre, which means "to plant (a plant into the ground) or to sow (seeds in the earth)".[1]
Some slang words for semen are "cream", "cum", "jism", "jizz", "load", "spooge" and "spunk".
[change] Appearance and nature
Semen is the fluid that comes out from the end of a man's penis when he has an orgasm (the height of sexual excitement) and ejaculates. It is usually white, but may also be slightly grey or yellow.[3] If there is blood in the semen, it can look pink or reddish. This is a condition called "hematospermia", and may be due to some blockage, inflammation, infection or injury to some part of the male sex organs, such as the urethra, epididymis, prostate or testicles. A doctor should be seen if the pink or reddish colour does not go away after a few days.[4]
Men ejaculate different amounts of semen. Normally, an ejaculation makes between 1.5 and 5 millilitres (up to one teaspoonful) of semen.[5] More semen tends to come out if a man has not ejaculated for many days, or if he has been stimulated (made sexually excited) for a long time. Older men produce less semen. If a man ejaculates an unusually small amount of semen, this is a medical condition called "hypospermia".
After a man has ejaculated, semen first becomes slightly thick and sticky, and may feel a bit like jelly and clump together in globs. Scientists think that semen does this so that if the man has had sex with a woman and has ejaculated inside her vagina, the semen stays in her vagina for longer and does not leak out. Between five and 40 minutes after this, semen becomes more liquid and watery. This probably allows the sperm in the semen to move through the vagina and into the woman's uterus and Fallopian tubes to try and fertilize an ovum (egg cell). If semen is ejaculated outside the body, after becoming watery it eventually dries up.[3]
[change] What it is made up of
Semen is made up of sperm (male cells for sexual reproduction) floating in a fluid called "seminal plasma". Sperm, also called "spermatozoa", are made by a man's testicles and mature (grow up) in the epididymis. The fluids in seminal plasma come from different glands in the man's body: the seminal vesicles, prostate and bulbourethral glands (also called the Cowper's glands). (Glands are special organs in the body that make chemicals.) The table below shows the substances that make up semen and the glands that produce them:[3]
| Gland | Rough amount | Substances |
|---|---|---|
| Testicles and epididymis | 5% |
|
| Seminal vesicles | 40–60% |
|
| Prostate | 13–33% |
|
| Bulbourethral (Cowper's) glands | 5% |
|
Seminal plasma protects and provides food for sperm as they travel inside a woman's body. The inside of a woman'a vagina does not suit sperm cells as it is acidic. To protect the sperm from the acid, seminal plasma is alkaline. A woman's immune system also tries to kill organisms (living things) that are not part of her body. Seminal plasma has chemicals called prostaglandins in it to stop the woman's body from killing the sperm.
[change] Semen quality
Semen quality is a measure of the ability of semen to accomplish fertilisation. Thus, it is a measure of fertility in a man. It is the sperm in the semen that are of importance, and therefore semen quality involves both sperm quantity and sperm quality.
A 1992 World Health Organization report described normal human semen as having a volume of 2 ml or greater, pH of 7.2 to 8.0, sperm concentration of 20x106 spermatozoa/ml or more, sperm count of 40x106 spermatozoa per ejaculate or more and motility of 50% or more with forward progression (categories a and b) of 25% or more with rapid progression (category a) within 60 minutes of ejaculation.[6]
The number of sperm in an ejaculation of semen depends on many things. There may be more sperm if:
- the man is younger,
- his body produces more of the hormone testosterone, which makes a person look and feel like a man,
- his testicles are not too warm,
- he produces more semen,
- he has not ejaculated for some time, and
- he has been stimulated for a longer time before ejaculation.
If there are an unusually low number of sperm in an ejaculation, this is called "oligospermia". If there are no sperm at all, this is called "azoospermia". A man with oligospermia or azoospermia is usually infertile, and cannot or finds it very hard to make a woman pregnant by having sex with her.
[change] Health
Different sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) can all be transmitted through semen.
If a man has a sexually transmitted disease or STD (a disease or sickness that is passed from one person to another by sex), the germs that cause the disease can appear in his semen. If the person that the man has sex with touches the semen, he or she can become infected by the germs and pick up the disease. AIDS, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, herpes and syphillis are examples of STDs. One of the ways for a man to lower the chance of passing on an STD to his sexual partner is to wear a condom on his penis when having sex.
[change] Semen as an anti-depressant
Research has demonstrated that semen may have anti-depressant properties. In studies, women who did not use condoms but instead absorbed semen vaginally (as was the norm among humans before increased concerns of contracting HIV or other sexually-transmitted diseases) sustained a better mood. Research has not yet demonstrated whether this effect may also be obtained from consuming semen following oral sex, but researchers hypothesize similar benefits.[7]
[change] Semen and transmission of disease
Semen can be the vehicle for many sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
It is also hypothesized that components of semen, such as the spermatozoa as well as the seminal plasma, can cause immunosuppression in the body when introduced to the bloodstream or lymph.[needs proving] Evidence for this dates back to 1898, when Elie Metchnikoff injected a guinea pig with its own and foreign guinea pig sperm, finding that an antibody was produced in response; however the antibody was inactive, pointing to a suppression response by the immune system.[needs proving]
Further research, such as that by S. Mathur and J.M. Goust, demonstrated that non-preexisting antibodies were produced in humans in response to the sperm. These antibodies mistakenly recognized native T lymphocytes as foreign antigens, and consequently the T lymphocytes would fall under attack by the body's B lymphocytes. [8]
Other semen components shown to spur an immunosuppressive effect are seminal plasma and seminal lymphocytes.[needs proving]
[change] Semen allergy
In rare cases, people have been known to experience allergic reactions to seminal fluids, known as human seminal plasma hypersensitivity.[9] Symptoms can be either localized or systemic, and may include vaginal itching, redness, swelling, or blisters within 30 minutes of contact. They may also include generalized itching, hives, and even difficulty breathing.
The best way to test for human seminal plasma sensitivity is to use a condom during intercourse. If symptoms dissipate with the use of a condom, it is possible that a sensitivity to semen is present. Mild cases of semen allergy can often be overcome by repeated exposure to seminal fluid.[10] In more severe cases, it is important to seek the advice of a physician, particularly in the event that a couple is trying to conceive, in which case, artificial insemination may be indicated.
[change] Cultural aspects
[change] Semen and martial arts
Chi Kung and Chinese medicine place huge emphasis on a form of energy called 精 (pinyin: jīng, also a morpheme denoting "essence" or "spirit")[11] [12] - which one attempts to develop and accumulate. "Jing" is sexual energy and is considered to dissipate with ejaculation so masturbation is considered "energy suicide" amongst those who practice this art. According to Chi Kung theory, energy from many pathways/meridians becomes diverted and transfers itself to the sexual organs during sexual excitement. The ensuing orgasm and ejaculation will then finally expel the energy from the system completely. The Chinese proverb 一滴精，十滴血 (pinyin: yì dī jīng, shí dī xuè, literally: a drop of semen is equal to ten drops of blood) illustrates this point.
The scientific term for semen in Chinese is 精液 (pinyin: jīng yè, literally: fluid of essence/jing) and the term for sperm is 精子 (pinyin: jīng zǐ, literally: basic element of essence/jing), two modern terms with classical reference.
[change] Cultural views
In some cultures, semen is attributed with special properties of masculinity. For instance, among the Etoro people of Papua New Guinea, it is believed that young boys must fellate their elders and ingest their sperm to achieve proper sexual maturation. This act may also be attributed to the culturally active homosexuality throughout these and other tribes.[13]
[change] Aristotle
In Ancient Greece, Aristotle wrote on the importance of semen:
- "For Aristotle, semen is the residue derived from nourishment, that is of blood, that has been highly concocted to the optimum temperature and substance. This can only be emitted by the male as only the male, by nature of his very being, has the requisite heat to concoct blood into semen."[14]
- "Sperms are the excretion of our food, or to put it more clearly, as the most perfect component of our food"[15]
- "If men start to engage in sexual activity at too early an age... this will affect the growth of their bodies. Nourishment that would otherwise make the body grow is diverted to the production of semen. ... Aristotle is saying that at this stage the body is still growing; it is best for sexual activity to begin when its growth is 'no longer abundant', for when the body is more or less at full height, the transformation of nourishment into semen does not drain the body of needed material."[16]
[change] Sacred semen
In some pre-industrial societies, semen and other body fluids were revered because they were believed to be magical. Blood is an example of such a fluid, but semen was also widely believed to be of supernatural origin and effect and was, as a result, considered holy or sacred.
Semen is currently and has long been revered by Buddhist and Daoist traditions as a very important constituent of human physiology.
Dew was once thought to be a sort of rain that fertilized the earth and, in time, became a metaphor for semen. The Bible employs the term “dew” in this sense in such verses as Song of Solomon 5:2 and Psalm 110:3, declaring, in the latter verse, for example, that the people should follow only a king who was virile enough to be full of the “dew” of youth.
It was widely believed, in ancient times, that gemstones were drops of divine semen which had coagulated after having fertilized the earth. There is an ancient Chinese belief that jade, in particular, was the dried semen of the celestial dragon.
Based upon the resemblance of dandelion juice to human semen, it was believed that the flower magically promoted the flow of sperm.
The orchid’s twin bulbs were thought to resemble the testicles, and there was an ancient Roman belief that the flower sprang from the spilled semen of copulating satyrs.
Barbara G. Walker recounts these examples of sacred semen in The Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, the thesis of which is that myth and folklore show a pre-patriarchic rule by women that was later supplanted by masculine culture.[17]
In primitive mythology around the world, semen is very often considered analogous to breast milk in some way. In the traditions of Bali, it is considered to be the returning or refunding of the milk of the mother in an alimentary metaphor. The wife feeds her husband who returns to her his semen, the milk of human kindness, as it were.[18]
In some systems of medical philosophy, such as traditional Russian medicine and the Vital Force theory of Herbert Nowell, semen is regarded as the product of a complex physiological interaction between a man and a woman (rather than merely the product of the male reproductive system).[needs proving]
[change] Semen in popular culture
Depiction of semen in art and popular culture has, for a long time, been considered a taboo subject.
The Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is famous for a manga style piece entitled My Lonesome Cowboy, which features a naked cowboy superhero wielding his own semen as a lasso.
Andres Serrano, whose photos depict bodily fluids such as "Blood and Semen II" (Semen y Sangre II) (1990), became a controversial figure for featuring semen in his work. He was criticized by some for producing offensive art, while others defended him in the name of artistic freedom.[19] His photos were featured on the cover art of two Metallica albums, Load and ReLoad, which feature images made by shining light through a piece of clear plastic on which semen, blood and urine have been splattered and swirled around.
Only recently has semen been depicted (albeit controversially) in movies such as Kika (1993), There's Something About Mary (1998) ("a hard-core staple making its debut in a mainstream Hollywood comedy")[20], Happiness (1998), American Pie (1999), Scary Movie (2000), Y tu mamá también (2001), Scary Movie 2 (2001), and National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002). Jackass Number Two (2006) features a scene where Chris Pontius drinks horse semen. It has also appeared in the anime movie End of Evangelion
[change] Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 semen. OED Online. Oxford University Press (1989). Retrieved on 16 June 2008.
- ↑ seed, n.. OED Online. Oxford University Press (1989). Retrieved on 16 June 2008.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 John Dean (4 October 2005). Semen and sperm quality. NetDoctor.co.uk. Retrieved on 16 June 2008.
- ↑ Blood in semen. ProstateCommons.com (2006). Retrieved on 16 June 2008.
- ↑ Swimming toward conception: The semen analysis. American Fertility Association. Retrieved on 13 June 2008.
- ↑ World Health Organization (2003). Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Semen–Cervical Mucus Interaction, 4th edition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 60. ISBN 0-521-64599-9.
- ↑ Semen acts as an anti-depressant - 26 June 2002 - New Scientist
- ↑ Mathur S, Goust J, Williamson H, Fudenberg H (1981). "Cross-reactivity of sperm and T lymphocyte antigens.". Am J Reprod Immunol 1 (3): 113–8.
- ↑ Guillet G, Dagregorio G, Guillet M (2005). "[Vulvar contact dermatitis due to seminal allergy: 3 cases]". Ann Dermatol Venereol 132 (2): 123–5.
- ↑ Weidinger S, Ring J, Köhn F. "IgE-mediated allergy against human seminal plasma.". Chem Immunol Allergy 88: 128–38.
- ↑ Chi Kung Bible, Chapter #8
- ↑ http://www.hunyuantaijiacademy.com/Articles/On%20Qigong.aspx
- ↑ Herdt, Gilbert (editor) (January 28, 1993). Ritualized Homosexuality in Melanesia. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-08096-3.
- ↑ Salmon, J. B., Foxhall, L., (1998), Thinking Men: Masculinity and Its Self-representation in the Classical Tradition, (Routledge), pg 158
- ↑ Sumathipala, A., Siribaddana, S.H., Bhugra, D., (2004), Culture-bound syndromes: the story of dhat syndrome. British Journal of Psychiatry. 184: 200-209, table 2
- ↑ Aristotle & Kraut, Richard (1997), Politics, (Richard Kraut, trans.), Oxford University Press, pg 152 [1]
- ↑ Walker, Barbara (October 19 1988). The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects (Trade PB) (in English), San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 576. Retrieved on 2007-02-23. ISBN 0-06-250923-3 ISBN 978-0-06-250923-9
- ↑ Bellows, Laura J. (2003). http://rspas.anu.edu.au/grc/publications/pdfs/BellowsL_2003.pdf PERSONHOOD, PROCREATIVE FLUIDS, AND POWER: RE-THINKING HIERARCHY IN BALI: Working Paper No. 9 (PDF). Gender Relations Centre, RSPAS, The Australian National University. Retrieved on 2007-02-23. ISSN 1320–4025 (pbk); ISSN 1447–5952 (online)
- ↑ sBMJ | Andres Serrano
- ↑ Review in Rolling Stone
