Can “Saving Up” Sperm Help With Fertility?

She tells you that “it’s that time of the month,” and in this case it means it’s baby-making time. You’ve been waiting for this and have duly refrained from sex or masturbation to stockpile as many sperm as possible. But is “saving up” sperm as good an idea as having a 401(k)? Not quite.

Fresh vs. Old Sperm — What It Means for Fertility

To address this, let’s start with a little biology. Our research has shown that it takes about 64 days to build and ejaculate a human sperm cell. During that time, nonmoving sperm travel from the testicle, where they are made, into the epididymis, where they learn to move. After about two weeks there, all revved up and ready to go, they are dropped into an epididymal reservoir with 600 million of their buddies, where they await the call of ejaculation. So, sperm are “stored” before they are launched. In other words, men don’t ejaculate sperm right after it’s made. And, only a fraction of that pool of sperm get called up with each ejaculation.

That means that if you don’t ejaculate regularly, the sperm that pour forth when you do are “older” than if you did the deed more often. And what she really needs is young healthy sperm and not older, tired sperm. So, the way the system works, it’s not a good idea to save up sperm like cash in the bank, because sperm has a clearly defined, hard and fast shelf-life. It’s like stockpiling perishable groceries: it won’t end well.

And how “old” sperm are before being ejaculated really matters. “Old” sperm — those that have been sitting in the reservoir the longest due to infrequent ejaculation have measurably more damaged DNA more sluggish movement, and are more misshapen. “Fresh” sperm, released with more frequent ejaculation, swim faster, look better and have DNA in better shape. In short, more frequent ejaculation keeps the inventory more vibrant and healthy.

The Ideal Conception Schedule

What should you do? The best advice comes from a great study in which couples trying to conceive kept diaries of when they tried and the pregnancy success they had. When researchers poured over these records, it became clear that having sex every other day around the fertile period was associated with high pregnancy rates. Not only that but having sex within a 6-day window leading up to ovulation, meaning “front loading” intercourse, was better than having sex only at the time of ovulation. Yes, sperm last for several days in the female reproductive tract and can literally wait for the egg to drop before pouncing on it.

The next question is can we run down ejaculated sperm numbers by ejaculating too frequently? Yes, since sperm production is a constant process, the pipes refill at a rate that is independent of ejaculation frequency. How long does it take to “recharge” our ejaculates with the full complement of sperm? For most men, the tank is full of sperm again every 2 days after ejaculation. This biology also fits nicely with the findings from the fertility diary study suggesting that regular ejaculation every 2–3 days  is ideal when trying to conceive.

Dr. Turek’s Takeaway

So, don’t “save up.” Abstinence might fill the tank, but it’s diluted with the old and the new. What your partner really needs are the best, freshest swimmers available. When it comes to fertility, quality always beats quantity.

As I often tell patients at The Turek Clinic: sex every other day during the fertile window is your best investment strategy. Don’t save them up but make regular, steady deposits of fresh, high-performing sperm.

If you’re having trouble conceiving a child, schedule a consultation with Dr. Turek in Los Angeles or San Francisco by calling 1-888-TUREKMD.