Self-help Articles

by Dr. Al Cooper and Dr. Coralie Scherer

Despite what you may have read in some of those steamy books and stories in which Our Hero spurts like a firehose, the actual volume of male ejaculation is around one teaspoon. And what a spoonful it is!

Male Ejaculation: What's In A Teaspoon?

• In male orgasm, though most of the fluid comes from the prostate gland (nestled like a collar around the urethra up against the bladder) the seminal vesicles, and other internal organs, semen contains millions of sperm in a tiny drop.
• Sperm are so microscopic that the aforementioned teaspoon of semen from male ejaculation provides a veritable Mississippi for 120 to 160 million of them to seek their fortune or -- well, die.

  Never be misled into believing that just a little sperm, or that pre-cum, (the pre-ejaculate fluid may be on the tip of a man's penis when he first becomes erect), isn't fertile. It most certainly is! Many a woman have gotten pregnant making the mistake of believing that pre-cum doesn't contain sperm. That fluid has plenty of sperm, as does even the tiniest drop of regular ejaculate.

About the Author:

Dr. Al Cooper, was the clinical director at the San Jose Marital and Sexuality Centre (408-248-9737) and ran the training program for Counseling and Psychological Services at Stanford University. Dr. Cooper was internationally known for his work in sexuality.

Dr. Coralie Scherer coordinates online services for the Centre and specializes in sexual trauma, women's issues, and marital therapy.