Overview
- Oxford researchers pooled 115 human studies and 56 animal studies across 30 species and reported that sperm quality drops quickly during in‑body storage.
- The review found more frequent ejaculation produced sperm with less DNA damage and better motility, offering what the authors called a small but meaningful boost.
- The team described post‑meiotic sperm senescence, where oxidative stress harms mature sperm that have little capacity to repair, reducing survival and fertilizing ability.
- Across species, sperm stored inside females tended to fare better because specialized storage organs supply antioxidants and nourishing fluids.
- The work, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests clinics may test shorter abstinence windows such as about 48 hours for some IVF cycles, though WHO guidance remains in place and trials are still needed.