TresSugar

Test Your Sperm Smarts

DearSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:00:00 PDT

If your period has ever been late, you know how scary and stressful it can be if you're not trying to get pregnant. Knowing some basic facts about sperm and the male body can help prevent an unexpected pregnancy, or help you avoid the anxiety of worrying that you are pregnant. So take this short quiz to make sure you're up on your sperm smarts.

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What's the Deal With Dry Orgasms?

DearSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:00:00 PST

A while ago, I answered a question about a woman who was dating a guy who lost both of his testicles in a car accident. It wasn't clear if this man could have an erection or an orgasm, but that post brought up many questions about orgasms and how it's possible to have one if you don't have any semen.

Here's the deal. Some men have what's called a dry orgasm. This means that they can have an erection, but when they climax, no semen gets ejaculated out of the penis. There can be several causes of dry orgasms:

Surgical removal or damage to the testicles, bladder, or prostate.
Radiation therapy directed at the pelvic area (such as for treatment of prostrate cancer).

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Another cause could be something called retrograde ejaculation. Instead of semen coming out of the penis, it gets forced into the bladder when he climaxes. Diabetes or injury to the bladder could cause this condition.

Dry orgasms usually don't present any health problems, but they could prevent a man from being able to father children. The good news is that it's possible to extract sperm from the man and use it to artificially inseminate a woman. Source

Hot Tubs and Sperm: What's the Connection?

DearSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:00:00 PDT

I'm sure you've heard that men shouldn't hang out in hot tubs because it can affect their sperm. Is this true or a myth?

Earlier this year, a team of urologists at the University of California conducted a study to test this speculation.

The study observed a group of men who were regularly exposed to hot water temps from hot tubs or hot baths, for at least 30 minutes a week. All the men showed signs of infertility.

What they also found out is that this could quickly be reversed. After these men ditched their hot water excursions, their sperm counts had an increase of 491% after three to six months.

So here's the deal. If a guy is trying to have a baby, he shouldn't be spending time soaking in hot water. If he's not at all thinking about babies, he can love up the hot tub as much as he wants.

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Ask E. Jean for DearSugar: Is Semen Fattening?

E Jean Carroll — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:00:00 PDT

DEAR E. JEAN--
When I saw the Dear Sugar quiz called “SEMEN: What Do You Know,” it got me wondering. I’m very vain about my figure. I’m in great shape, ride my bike 120 miles a week, watch what I eat, and count every calorie. So, here’s my question: How many calories are in semen? My fiancé and I enjoy oral sex about three times a week. Is it fattening? ----Colorado Girl

To See E. Jean's answer

read more MISS COLORADO, MY KUMQUAT: When sperm leaves the human male, it travels at a Lance Armstrong-grade bike speed of 27 miles-an-hour. It weighs in at about a teaspoon, contains three times the vitamins of a Jolly Rancher and fairly explodes with protein (about the same as an egg white.) As for calories? 5-7. Fewer than a cherry Life Saver. Bon Appetit! To see more advice from E. Jean visit Elle Magazine and AskEJean.com

Semen: What Do You Know?

DearSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:00:00 PDT

Lately I've been getting a lot of comments and questions about sex and semen, so I just wanted to clear up some things.

Let's test your knowledge on this fun and important topic...

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Life of a Sperm

DearSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:00:00 PDT

If you're period has ever been "late" you know how stressful and upsetting it can be, wondering if you are pregnant or not. Knowing the facts can help ease your mind so I want to know...

Source

STIs Explained: HIV and AIDS

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:30:00 PDT

Since today, June 27, is National HIV Testing Day, I thought I could dispel some myths and lay out the facts about HIV and AIDS. It is a serious issue so let's get down to business.

HIV - the human immunodeficiency virus - is a virus that kills your body’s "CD4 cells," (also called T-helper cells), that help your body fight off infection and disease.

HIV can be passed when an infected person's bodily fluids (blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk) come in contact with an uninfected person's mucous membranes. The HIV virus can be passed during any type of sexual contact - including oral and anal sex. Sharing needles can also transmit HIV from one user to another. HIV-positive mothers can also pass it onto their babies when they are pregnant, when they deliver, or if they breastfeed.

AIDS - the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - is a disease you get when the HIV virus destroys your body’s immune system. That means that viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria that usually don't cause any problems can make you very sick since your immune system is damaged.

To prevent HIV and other STIs in the first place abstaining from sexual contact is your best bet, but the likelihood that happening is rare. So always use a latex or polyurethane condom when having sex. Or better yet, have you and your partner get tested before you get intimate.

Fit's Tips: Many people who have HIV do not show symptoms for many years, so the best thing to do is get tested just to make sure.

Want to know more about HIV and AIDS? Then

STI	Symptoms	How do you test for it?	Treatment
HIV and AIDS	rapid weight loss dry cough extreme fatigue swollen lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck diarrhea that lasts more than a week white spots or unusual blemishes on the tongue, in the mouth, or in the throat red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids memory loss, depression, and other neurological disorders pneumonia	Anonymous HIV testing is available in many places and it's usually free You can have a blood test, or a simple oral test that checks for HIV antibodies. People who have HIV antibodies are called HIV-positive.	There are treatments to help HIV symptoms, but there is no known cure yet

Source and Source

Sperm Facts Every Woman Should Know

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 03:50:00 PST

Sperm, as teeny weeny as they are, can affect us in a HUGE way. There are about 200-500 million of those little guys in the average amount of semen produced each time a man ejaculates.

Sperm are produced in the (Ladies, we've got to arm ourselves with knowledge so we can overcome the mighty sperm)
man's testes - it takes 10 weeks for a single soldier to reach maturity.
Mature sperm can wait up to 2 weeks for their big day - they hang out in the epididymis - the coil like structure that runs across the top of each testicle.
If they are not ejaculated, those poor little sperms are broken down and reabsorbed by the body.

What to learn some more facts, like how long sperm can survive in a woman's body? Then

Semen only contains about 10% sperm - the rest consists of enzymes, vitamin C, calcium, protein, sodium, zinc, citric acid and fructose sugar.
What men eat can affect the taste of their sperm. Red meat, dairy products, onions, garlic, and coffee may not go down as well as foods containing natural sugars, such as fruits.
Healthy males produce about 70-150 million sperm a day - but when they ejaculate, they lose 3 times that - that's why they seem so wiped out after sex.
When inside a woman's body, a sperm can live up to 5 days.
There are male and female sperm - the females are slower, but stronger, while the males are faster, but weaker.

Real or Fake: Headlines of the Week

TresSugar — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:58:11 PST

From gay men choosing to marry gay women in China to Bristol Palin getting a book deal, there were plenty of unreal headlines this week. But what about these?

Source: Flickr User Debs

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Link Time - Lessons From the Year's Most Influential Men

TresSugar — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:48:32 PDT

What we can learn from the most influential men of 2011 - Ask Men
Find your own John Mayer - CollegeCandy
The plastic surgery a model would need to look like Barbie - Yahoo! Shine
Why it's good to be single in your 30s - Huffington Post
Censorship overload: Facebook doesn't want you talking about safe sex - YourTango
How do you ask men out? - Em & Lo
Why I love bachelorette parties - GOOD
Was William Shakespeare a fraud? - The Daily Beast
Three women charged with raping men and collecting their semen - The Frisky
Edible fashion: see some really incredible clothes made from food - theBERRY
5 sexual innovations from history - Cracked