# How much does masturbation affect a man's sperm count? Is a 2nd ejaculation any good?



## whimesy3

Hello,

So... this is our second cycle of TTC.. last cycle, I discorvered that my OH was having baby making sex with me AND masturbating at least 2 times a day.... I was like "What?! That lowers your sperm count you know"... and kinda made a big deal about it. So this cycle of trying, he told me it was going to be hard to stop masturbating daily because he has been doing it for years, but he will stop so we can make our baby.. 

So we talk about this all the time because I ask him every day whether he masturbated or not. He says he thinks its not true that it lowers his sperm count significantly because he got his ex girlfriend pregnant before, and he was still masturbating daily, once or twice, at that time and she still got pregnant.. I said, "You cant say for sure that you were or were not at that time as it was like 2 years ago... you said she was living with you, so..." really who knows.. 

But as we are actually trying and we both really want babies with each other, I want to do everything we can to increase our chances... 

We have had sex every other day starting Tuesday... I usually go right from AF into my fertile period because my cycles are 27 days... So on Tuesday the 4th we BD in the morning (its always the morning..), which was cycle day 9... . I wore a softcup with a little bit of preseed in it after that.. then we had sex again on the 6th in the morning, cycle day 11... Well this time we had sex, then I put the cup in, then we started having sex with the cup in like 3 hours later.. Dont ask.. LOL... :blush: So I kinda think we ruined it a bit because we may have caused some leakage.. 

Then Saturday the 7th, we had sex again in the morning, I put a soft cup in, he left for 3-4 hours, we took the soft cup out, had sex again and he ejaculated in me again, then I put another cup in. 

I had ovulation pains starting from Wednesday night until Yesterday.. they have stopped today as far as I have noticed.. Last month I felt them around the same time, and noticed EWCM on cycle day 12... but I havent been checking my cervix this month because of the softcups... 

Well I am worried that we didnt BD enough this fertile period, and I am also worried about the masturbation... I found one thing online that said it was OK from the mayo clinic.. Here is what it says

~ Frequent male masturbation doesn't reduce sperm count. Male masturbation also doesn't affect your ability to achieve an erection. Actually, not having an orgasm (ejaculating) for several days or more may lower your fertility. This is because it may lower the number of sperm with normal shape (morphology) and ability to move (motility). Both normal morphology and motility affect your sperm's ability to get to and fertilize your partner's egg. Having sexual intercourse with ejaculation several times a week will maximize your chances of getting your partner pregnant, whether you masturbate or not~

But everything else says differently.. that it significantly lowers your sperm count.. especially when TTC its not good.. I really cant know or trust that he hasnt been masturbating.. 

Does anyone know a lot about this? Like if he masturbates daily and has been for years, would that mean that he is shooting out immature sperm that cant swim well and is not ready to go after an egg? Im so worried about this... 

Also do you think we BD'd enough? And what about the softcups issues we had LOL (having sex a little with one in, then taking one out, having sex, and putting the cup back in)... Do you think this will affect our chances? 

Also, I was gonna try the egg whites thing today.. but since I felt the O pains Wednesday- Saturday, do you think I really already did O, and its too late? That I should really not even bother BD'ing anymore? I mean we will probably have sex anyways because we just do.. but I mean baby making sex? Is our window pretty much over?

How long does the egg actually live? I have heard different things... Its absurd that we can never get definite answers from doctors or anyone when it comes to these things! 

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks for reading!


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## Tanzibar83

It will diminish the quality of the sperm if it's done several times daily, so I believe, but doctors also recommend for the male to ejaculate every couple of days when TTC to keep the sperm it's possible best. So it's a bit of a double edged sword the way I see it.

What I would do is try and get him to build it up and to abstain from sex a couple of days before your fertile period. I've read if you can get him at the point where he wants to ejaculate then pull out and stop the sex altogether, doing this (tantric sex or something like that)a couple of times for him will really get him pumped for the proper baby making sessions. Also if you can reach an orgasm yourself after he's come the cervix will suck up the sperm so that will also help :D

not sure about the egg white stuff, I'd probably go and see a doctor to get a professional opinion about it personally. Your partner can keep up his sperm count and quality by taking lots of vitamin c and zinc if you weren't already aware. 

I know what you mean about definitive answers from docs, if it was at all possible I would give my job up just to go and be a bunch of medical students pet guinea pig - I'd love to see the sort of analysis they do! I'm sure at some point in the future, hundreds of years from now they will know exactly why person A isn't falling pregnant right away, and come cycle 2 everyone will have a BFP!


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## smokey

sperm takes about 24-48 hours to mature so a second ejaculation in that time is still going to produce sperm but most of them will be imature sperm with no energy that just swim in circles.
Its recomended to ejaculate every 2-3 days to keep sperm at a good quality so they are neither too imature or to old, after about 72 hours they start to get old, lazy and die off and dont realy go very far.
So it doesnt effect the sperm count but it does effect the sperm quality and mobility

Basicly you want a 30 somthing strapping sperm with a good body, loads of get up and go with his own sports car not a pimply, lazy teen squating on the couch or a geryatric old geezer with a zimmer frame that runs out of puff on the off :)

Judging by the days you did it and if you did ovulate around about the wednesday/thursday mark then you seem to have the timing covered, I wouldnt worry about the softcup misshap as you did it enough other times.
A egg lives for about 24-48 hours, I would do it one last time today just make sure then just enjoy the rest as non specific sex :)


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## TryinFor1

I have this same problem!

I had to bribe DH to not jack off this morning so we could dtd tonight and have really good mature sperm as I should be ovulating today or tomorrow. He has a problem doing it two times a day on the weekends, which wouldnt be a problem if I wasnt ovulating on the weekend! lol 

If you get any more information about this from a dr, please let me know!


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## Miaowzen

My DH likes to have sex multiple times every day but at least no masturbating. This month he agreed to BD just once per day a the crucial time. Maybe you can have more sex with your guy leading up to the O week so that he doesn't feel the need to masturbate anymore? Although for him it sounds like a habit.


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## smokey

I dont understand blokes and there obsession with masterbating, its hard enough getting OH to perk up enough for sex when its needed let alone masterbating as well, he says its too much hassle and hes too nackered to masterbate :)


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## CuddleBunny

My OH used to do it every day but he doesn't do it much any more. I don't really mind either way as long as I get lucky :lol:


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## Ash0619

haha yeah, it would only bother me if he masturbated all the time but would never BD with me. My DH is too tired to masturbate very often, he used to all the time but he rarely does anymore. And I told him he can't at all while ttc cause we're doing SMEP.


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## xlouloux

I'd just like to add that ovulation pains can occur before during or after ovulation, I usually have 2 days of cramping and then ovulate so i'd bd just to sure atleast once more with the softcup :)


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## whimesy3

Smokey your posts are always so informative. AND your baby is MY favorite on B&B!!!! Be careful cuz I may just steal him, and try to pass a caucasian baby off as my own LOL. My blokes obsession with wanking off is he is a pervert...straight up. Love him, but I feel like if he really REALLY wanted our baby he would stop. But I guess its an addiction like drugs kinda. So Smokey, you think I've been getting all the immature bad, stupid sperm? I could kill him...wth!!!


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## Ash0619

I've been doing a little research, and everything I've found says it doesn't matter. I haven't seen anything that says it does. Here is a link from planned parenthood. 

https://asktheexperts.plannedparenthood.org/?p=3487


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## Jazavac

It should be of concern only if the partner's SA results mention low count.


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## smokey

whimesy3 said:


> Smokey your posts are always so informative. AND your baby is MY favorite on B&B!!!! Be careful cuz I may just steal him, and try to pass a caucasian baby off as my own LOL. My blokes obsession with wanking off is he is a pervert...straight up. Love him, but I feel like if he really REALLY wanted our baby he would stop. But I guess its an addiction like drugs kinda. So Smokey, you think I've been getting all the immature bad, stupid sperm? I could kill him...wth!!!

Iv had so many people threaten to steal him I think I should start tagging him :)
I swear I should train in fertility and sperm analysis as if pretty much done nothing else but study and read up on it for the last 10 years :)
What you do is cover his hands in itching powder then you will soon know if he has been tugging the chain and he will soon decide against it :)
The immature sperm is realy only a theory though bassed on a population as a whole while others wont have a problem with generating sperm quickly (only a sperm count could tell you for sure within a couple of hours of him masterbating)
Tie him to the bed for 24 hours so he cant touch it and spend that time tourmenting him so you know your getting the good stuff :)


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## smokey

Jazavac said:


> It should be of concern only if the partner's SA results mention low count.

A count doesnt actualy have anything to do with mobility.
Adverage ejaculation contains over 60 million sperm per milliliter but that doesnt help if Motility,Morphology,Liquefaction,vitality,Fructose level are all bad.
If the main things they test for are good then you only actualy need a sperm count of about 2 million out of that 60 million.
They fact that they are not swimming in circles or have 2 heads is alot more important then the count as they just wont swim anywhere, it only takes 1 after all.


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## lisap2008

Whether a man has a high sperm count or not its been proven that even daily intercourse reduces sperm count which is why it sways for a girl. Masturbating prior to intercourse is not a good idea if your TTC.


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