Good news, the donor is fertile! 🏎️💨 I don’t know how many times I got asked if I ever looked at sperm cells under the scope 😂 AT LAST, here they are 👼 enjoy! Not only semen contains spermatozoids, the tmale’s reproductive cells responsible for fertilizing the female’s egg, but also plenty of other important components! Other cellular components you can find are epithelial cells, coming from the urogenital tract, as well as white blood cells. There are around 300 million sperm in a single ejaculate, or around 100 million sperm per mL for a normal adult, but only 200 of them will reach the fertilization site in the oviduct. Although, before fertilization occurs, sperm cells need to travel a little while, and to help them in their quest, the seminal fluid in which the sperms bathe is full of fructose, a type of sugar that provides them with energy. This seminal fluid is also rich in prostaglandins, inducing muscle contraction of the female reproductive tract for faster sperm transport. Semen is also slightly alkaline, which helps neutralize the vagina’s acidic environment who’s a bit hostile to strangers. The prostate is responsible of secreting enzymes, zinc and calcium into the seminal fluid. While zinc has antibacterial properties and liquefaction capacities, calcium is all about helping sperm motility, metabolism and is crucial for fertilization itself. Before fertilization, sperm need to break a special barrier that protects the female’s egg, which is called the zona pellucida. Not only calcium influx is involved in breaking this barrier but several enzymes present in semen will also boost this process. It’s a common misconception that ‘’the first spermatozoid to get to the egg is the one who fertilize it’’ while in fact there will be plenty of sperm trying to pierce the zona pellucida until one lucky bastard fuses with the egg as the barrier finally breaks. If you liked this video I strongly suggest to check my short tv series produced by @savoirmedia that just came out! We even added English subtitles just for you! 😊 link in bio Video taken with my iPhone 14 Pro mounted on an Olympus BX53 microscope with an @ilabcam adapter 🔬 #fyp #science #microscope - @tardibabe