Sperm Competition

[jdolinger]

Has anyone ever looked into the issue of sperm competition to see if it can be used for couples TTC?

The basic idea is that a man will adjust his sperm count in light of any kind of perceived competition from other men. In other words, he will ejaculate more sperm if he thinks his partner has been unfaithful.

[Anonymous]

On the off chance that you are not a troll, unless there is diagnosed MFI, the issue is typically not with the sperm reaching the egg. Something like 75% of eggs are fertilized, but fail to develop enough to implant and develop sufficiently to produce HCG. So more sperm via higher sperm count is not going to make a difference.

[jdolinger]

Anonymous wrote:On the off chance that you are not a troll, unless there is diagnosed MFI, the issue is typically not with the sperm reaching the egg. Something like 75% of eggs are fertilized, but fail to develop enough to implant and develop sufficiently to produce HCG. So more sperm via higher sperm count is not going to make a difference.

I actually read an article which proposed the idea of using cues from the risk of sperm competition as a means of helping with infertility.

[Anonymous]

jdolinger wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the off chance that you are not a troll, unless there is diagnosed MFI, the issue is typically not with the sperm reaching the egg. Something like 75% of eggs are fertilized, but fail to develop enough to implant and develop sufficiently to produce HCG. So more sperm via higher sperm count is not going to make a difference.

I actually read an article which proposed the idea of using cues from the risk of sperm competition as a means of helping with infertility.

Sure, you can find an article on anything. Doesn't mean it's a good idea.

[Anonymous]

jdolinger wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the off chance that you are not a troll, unless there is diagnosed MFI, the issue is typically not with the sperm reaching the egg. Something like 75% of eggs are fertilized, but fail to develop enough to implant and develop sufficiently to produce HCG. So more sperm via higher sperm count is not going to make a difference.

I actually read an article which proposed the idea of using cues from the risk of sperm competition as a means of helping with infertility.

Interesting. Can you cite it?

[jdolinger]

Anonymous wrote:

Interesting. Can you cite it?

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228616100_Sperm_competition_in_humans_Implications_for_male_sexual_psychology_physiology_anatomy_and_behavior

This paragraph in particular:

One possible future direction would be to demonstrate evidence that these sperm competition behaviors in humans serve the thus far theoretical function of increasing the probability of producing offspring. For instance, research has demonstrated evidence of prudent sperm allocation according to risk of sperm competition, where men inseminate more sperm when the risk is higher (Parker, 1982, 1990a, 1990b). It would be interesting to determine whether these behaviors actually translate into increased probability of insemination. Were this supported, these findings would not only add to the support for sperm competition theory in humans, but also could have practical, medical implications for couples with fertility problems. Also, much of the work presented here is correlational in design. It will be important for future research to utilize experimental methods. For example, it has been shown that men at greater risk of sperm competition report their partner to be more attractive, and report that their partner finds them more attractive (Shackelford et al., 2002). It may be useful to manipulate experimentally cues of sperm competition risk such that some men are exposed to cues of sperm competition whereas others are not. Men in the former, experimental condition are predicted to subsequently rate their partner to be more attractive and to report that their partner finds them more attractive, for example.

[Anonymous]

jdolinger wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Interesting. Can you cite it?

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228616100_Sperm_competition_in_humans_Implications_for_male_sexual_psychology_physiology_anatomy_and_behavior

This paragraph in particular:

One possible future direction would be to demonstrate evidence that these sperm competition behaviors in humans serve the thus far theoretical function of increasing the probability of producing offspring. For instance, research has demonstrated evidence of prudent sperm allocation according to risk of sperm competition, where men inseminate more sperm when the risk is higher (Parker, 1982, 1990a, 1990b). It would be interesting to determine whether these behaviors actually translate into increased probability of insemination. Were this supported, these findings would not only add to the support for sperm competition theory in humans, but also could have practical, medical implications for couples with fertility problems. Also, much of the work presented here is correlational in design. It will be important for future research to utilize experimental methods. For example, it has been shown that men at greater risk of sperm competition report their partner to be more attractive, and report that their partner finds them more attractive (Shackelford et al., 2002). It may be useful to manipulate experimentally cues of sperm competition risk such that some men are exposed to cues of sperm competition whereas others are not. Men in the former, experimental condition are predicted to subsequently rate their partner to be more attractive and to report that their partner finds them more attractive, for example.

This seems like a fine theoretical exercise, but how would you EVER test this in theory? Psychological experiments to convince men their partner's are unfaithful? Then later tell them, JUST KIDDING. (a) you could NEVER get consent for this; (b) the amount of harm you'd cause to the relationship would almost certainly far outweigh any benefit; (c) treatments like IUI with sperm washing would be far more effective far more easily with far fewer side effects.

ALSO, nowhere in this article is there any suggestion of using "the risk of sperm competition" to help with infertility. That 11 year old article was a theoretical, academic exercise and nothing more.