Hi Dr. Yvonne,
Does water act like a spermicide if you have sex in it?
Stevie

Water is not a spermicide. While chlorine makes for a hostile environment for sperm (and latex), it will not kill sperm right away. While men who spend a lot of time in hot tubs tend to have lower sperm counts, the hot water cannot be relied upon as birth control. The general rule is – in or out of water – anytime semen is emitted in the vagina or on the vulva, there is the chance of pregnancy.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Dear Yvonne,
I masturbate daily. Will this affect my sperm count in any way?
—Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,
Self-pleasuring to the point of emission on a daily basis does not reduce your sperm count. Research actually indicates that it may, in fact, increase a man’s virility. In producing ejaculation, a male’s testes produce and store sperm continuously from the time he hits puberty.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Dear Yvonne,
How long can sperm last in a woman’s reproductive system?
—Petra

Dear Petra,
On average, sperm can survive up to 5 days when luxuriating in a female’s cervical mucus, which is at its richest and ‘stickiest’ right about the time a woman becomes most fertile. A woman’s cervical mucous helps coax the little guys toward the ova. When sperm are not nourished and protected in the survival-friendly atmosphere in a female’s vagina, they die anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours after release, never to swim again.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Hello Dr. Fulbright:
I have heard that heat (such as a hot bath or directly-applied streams of hot water in the shower) can reduce sperm counts (like a natural birth control). How much truth is there to that?
DJ

Dear DJ,
Exposure to heat impacts a man’s semen in primarily two ways:
1. It affects sperm motility. This is in part due to heat exposure damaging sperm as they mature in the epididymis.
2. It affects normal sperm production. (Men with fertility problems are often discouraged from submerging themselves in hot bodies of water).

Heat should not, however, be regarded as a form of birth control. Having sex in a hot environment, like a hot tub, does not prevent pregnancy of sexually transmitted infections.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Artificial human sperm could come to the aid of infertile men, according to a team of scientists who have used lab-grown sperm to inseminate female mice.

Artificial sperm could also make males totally redundant, permitting women to give birth without a biological male mate.

What is your opinion?