Key points from the chart
- The chart’s “Nutritional Facts” label gives one teaspoon (about 5 ml) of semen 20 calories, 150 mg of protein, 11 mg of carbohydrate, 6 mg of fat and 3 mg of cholesterol.
- It says semen is about 10% sperm, with the rest made up of enzymes, vitamin C, calcium, protein, sodium, zinc, citric acid and fructose.
- It puts the average volume per ejaculation at one teaspoon, holding 200 to 500 million sperm.
- It also makes claims about taste, speed, distance, allergy and survival time, several of which we could not confirm (see the notes).
All figures are from the graphic. Its listed sources are pages on uwhealth.org, livescience.com, nytimes.com, hypertextbook.com, webmd.com and menshealth.com.
The chart in text
Nutrition label
| Line on the label | As printed |
|---|---|
| Serving size | 1 teaspoon (~5 ml) |
| Servings per package | 3-5 at any time |
| Calories | 20 |
| Total fat | 6 mg |
| Total carbohydrates | 11 mg |
| Cholesterol | 3 mg |
| Protein | 150 mg |
| Footnote | * based on average human male ejaculation |
Other panels, top to bottom
- “Sperm are produced in the male’s testes.”
- A pie chart of the “average composition of semen” in four parts: seminal plasma (largest), prostate fluids, sperm and mucus.
- Diet and taste: “Red meat, dairy products, onions, garlic, and coffee may cause sperm to taste bitter and acidic”; “Foods containing natural sugars, such as fruits can make the sperm taste sweeter.”
- “The average volume of semen per ejaculation is 1 teaspoon… each teaspoon of semen can contain about 200 to 500 million sperm.”
- Average sperm per ejaculate, in millions: rat 50, rabbit 280, human 280, sheep 1,000, cow 3,000, pig 8,000.
- “The average speed of semen at the moment of ejaculation is 31 mph… faster than a Peruvian jaguar.”
- “The human male ejaculates an average distance of 7 to 10 inches… the world record for the farthest splooge is 18 feet.”
- “Sperm has a pH of 7.2 to 8.”
- “It is estimated that 5% of women are allergic to semen.”
- “5 days: the number of days sperm can live inside a woman”; “3 hours: the number of hours sperm can live on a toilet seat.”
- “The Etoro people of Papua New Guinea it is believed that to become sexually mature men, young boys must swallow the semen of their elders.”
What semen is made of
Britannica describes sperm as only about 2 to 5 percent of semen volume. Fluid from the seminal vesicles makes up about 60 percent and contains fructose, amino acids, citric acid, phosphorus, potassium and prostaglandins. The prostate adds about 30 percent, mainly citric acid, acid phosphatase, calcium, sodium, zinc, potassium and protein-splitting enzymes. A small amount of thick, clear, lubricating protein, commonly called mucus, comes from the bulbourethral and urethral glands [1]. Britannica says fructose is the main nutrient for the sperm cells themselves [1].
That matches the ingredient list on the chart. The chart’s share for sperm, 10%, is higher than Britannica’s 2 to 5 percent.
Volume and sperm count
The MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia gives a normal volume of 1.5 to 5.0 ml per ejaculation and a sperm count of 20 to 150 million per millilitre [3]. Britannica gives an average of 2 to 5 ml and 200 to 300 million sperm per ejaculation [1]. The World Health Organization’s laboratory manual reports reference figures from men whose partners conceived within a year: a median volume of 3.0 ml and a median of 210 million sperm per ejaculate [2].
So the chart’s “1 teaspoon (~5 ml)” is at the top of the normal range rather than the average, and its 200 to 500 million sperm per teaspoon is higher than the typical totals above. Its figure of 280 million for humans in the animal bar chart sits within the WHO’s reported range [2].
Notes on this infographic
- Sperm share: about 2 to 5 percent of volume, not 10% [1].
- Average volume: about 2 to 5 ml [1], median 3.0 ml in the WHO reference group [2]; 5 ml is the upper end.
- pH: Britannica describes semen as slightly alkaline, pH 7 to 7.5 [1]. The WHO manual notes that a pH below 7.2 may point to a lack of seminal vesicle fluid [2].
- Survival: the NHS says sperm can survive in the fallopian tubes for up to 7 days after sex [4], longer than the chart’s 5 days.
- Allergy: a study of women with suspected semen allergy said its incidence and prevalence were unknown, though more common than previously recognised [5]. We found no source for the chart’s 5%.
- Not verified: the calories and nutrient amounts on the label, the taste claims, the 31 mph speed, the distances, the 3 hours on a toilet seat and the animal sperm counts other than humans. We did not find authoritative sources for these, so treat them as unconfirmed.
- Cultural claim: the Etoro belief is recorded by anthropologists [6].
This page describes the chart and is not medical advice. The NHS advises speaking to a GP if you have been trying to get pregnant for a year or more [7].
Questions about sperm nutrition facts
Does semen have protein?
Yes. Britannica lists protein-splitting enzymes from the prostate and a lubricating protein from the bulbourethral glands among its contents [1]. The chart puts it at 150 mg per teaspoon, a figure we could not confirm from a medical source.
Is sperm 100 percent protein?
No. Sperm cells are only about 2 to 5 percent of semen volume, and the rest is fluid containing fructose, amino acids, citric acid, minerals and enzymes [1].
Are there calories in semen?
The chart says about 20 calories per teaspoon. We did not find an authoritative source that measures this, so the figure is unconfirmed.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Semen
- World Health Organization. WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen, sixth edition, 2021
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Semen analysis
- NHS. Periods and fertility in the menstrual cycle
- Bernstein JA et al. Prevalence of human seminal plasma hypersensitivity among symptomatic women. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 1997 (PubMed)
- Wikipedia. Etoro people
- NHS. Trying to get pregnant
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
