The Great Sperm Race

1. What dangers/difficulties do the sperm face in the uterus?

leucocytes sent by the females immune system act as assassins

1. Describe the basic structure of a sperm. What is the function of the head? (What is stored inside?) What is the function of the tail?

-Head: 23 chromosomes with genetic material, XY -Tail: Energy producing mitochondria to propel the tail and move the sperm through the female body

1. Roughly what percentage of the sperm make it through the cervical canal alive?

0.000012

1. List the parts of the female reproductive tract that the sperm must travel through to reach the egg.

1. vagina 2. cervix 3. uterus 4. fallopian tube

1. What percentage of a man's sperm are well-formed and fully functional?

18-20%

1. What happens during ovulation to allow the sperm to enter the cervix?

A surge of estrogen goes through the female body

1. What dangers/difficulties do sperm face in the vagina?

Acid from the female's immune system

1. What is the cervix?

Barrier at the end of the vagina that prevents foreign cells from coming in except for during ovulation

1. Describe ejaculation from the point of view of the sperm.

Ejaculation for the sperm is as if a person were to be forcibly projected onto and out of a 15-mile water slide in 2 seconds.

1. What are the testes? Describe the testes from the "sperm's perspective."

Enormous, multi-floored office building; where sperm are produced

1. Why is the fallopian tube called "sperm heaven" in the film?

It has the right pH, nutrients, and correct concentration

1. How does this help to select only the best/healthiest sperm?

The cervical canal has very thick mucus which weeds out the unfit sperm

1. How does the female body help the sperm find the opening to the fallopian tube?

The uterus muscles contract and help carry the sperm to the fallopian tubes

1. How do sperm in the fallopian tube find the egg?

There are are receptors that point the sperm towards the egg and the egg has a smell that the sperm can smell and they orient themselves toward it

1. Why do they describe conception as "war?"

They describe conception as war because there are millions of sperm racing to the egg in order to fertilize the egg with their specific genetic material, all of the sperm comes from the same person but each sperm essentially represents a different possible child. Sperm race to get there and most of them die trying to get there and face many obstacles.

1. What is the epididymis? How many sperm can it hold?

Tightly coiled, 200 miles long tube where sperm "wait;" they may or may not ever leave here -over 1 billion sperm held within

1. Describe the uterus from the sperm's perspective.

Very large plain, a couple miles long; sperm may get some helpful guidance, though immune cells may not be so welcoming