Semen Volume – A Measurement of Manhood?

Dear Dr G,

I really enjoy reading some of your articles as a lot of the queries are relevant to many! These are the questions that bother many people, but they are just too shy to ask.

This week, I would like to put Dr G on the spot for another question about sexual health that bothers me, and I’m sure other men too.

I am generally a healthy man, and apart from high blood pressure, I don’t suffer from other health issues.

I have good libido and have regular sexual activities with my wife. My erection is still good (well, most of the time, anyway).

The only thing that bothers me is that I recently noticed my semen getting lesser.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not some strange guy who measures the volume he ejaculates.

I am just concerned that the semen I see in the condoms is getting lesser. I can even confirm this by observing the amount of semen from masturbation.

I am not worried about fertility because my wife and I already have three boys. I am just curious whether the amount of ejaculate is a measurement of manhood.

How much do men typically ejaculate? Are they the same in most animals?

Is the decreasing semen a sign of poor health? What are the causes of decreasing ejaculate? Is this a cause for concern if it persists?

Can anything be done to return to the former glory?

Hope you have the answers as the matter is really bothering me!

Regards

Graham

Ejaculation in men is the discharge of semen from the reproductive tract, usually at the final stages of sexual stimulation, or spontaneously during sleep.

The process of semen propulsion, in some cases dribbling, is an essential component for natural conception.

The force and the amount of semen ejected by men can vary tremendously according to the state of arousal, interval between ejaculations and the general state of the reproductive tract.

Most men would have no idea how much he ejaculate, as he would be generally be in climatic state, instead of observing the “byproduct”.

According to the World Health Organisation, the average volume of ejaculate in men is 3.7ml, roughly three quarters of a teaspoon in measurement.

Generally, the amount ejaculated can range from 0.1ml to 10ml. In other words, some men eject literally a spot of cum and others up to two teaspoons of “pride and joy”!

In the animal kingdom, the blue whales have many claims to sexual frame as the marine mammal can ejaculate about 35 pints of semen in one go!

Mind you, the male whale also have the largest penis in the animal kingdom, reaching eight feet in length, which is longer than most adult humans’ height!

Adult semen volume is affected by the intervals between ejaculations.

Larger semen volumes are seen with greater abstinence, and the duration of stimulation and arousal can also affect the amount produced during climax.

Abnormally, low semen is known as hypospermia. It is normal for the amount of semen to diminish with age, which can occur in any decade of life, even as early as one in his 20s and 30s.

However, such change is hardly noticeable in most men.

One of the possible underlying causes of low volume semen in younger men may be due to obstruction of the ejaculatory ducts or side effects of medical interventions such as the blood pressure and prostate medications.

Other medical conditions associated with lower ejaculates may be low testosterone production and diabetes.

The low testosterone is also known as hypogonadism, resulting in less production of male hormone and semen in general.

In the rare circumstances, neurological problems such as multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injuries can also result in semen spurting backwards into the bladder, instead of out at the tip of penis.

The famous American Sociologist, Robert Staughton Lynd once said: “Knowledge is power only if man knows what facts not to bother with.”

The reality is, our sexual function evolves with our state of mind and progressing age.

When it comes to how much one is spurting during sex, the product is simply a “byproduct” when it has already served its reproductive purposes in earlier encounters.

When Dr G is put on the spot to address men’s health in relation to diminishing ejaculates, his advice is: “Focus on the action rather than the outcome.”