When do boys start developing sperm

As you likely know, age is a critical factor for both men and women when it comes to conceiving a child. For women, the primary age-based factors determining the likelihood of conception are egg count and egg quality , which correlate to the number of healthy eggs available to be fertilized.

These factors diminish over time, meaning for the majority of women that their biological fertility clock often starts to tick more quickly in their 30s and eventually expires in their 40s.

For men, the biological clock still ticks, but it relies on different factors: sperm count, sperm motility and sperm structure. While the vast majority of men produce several million fresh sperm each day even past 80 years old , their fertility still decreases over time.

This change is typically gradual, but it sometimes sneaks up on older men hoping to start a family. During puberty, men on average start producing sperm between the ages of 12 and 15 years old , according to studies from the National Institute of Health.

Where the average male falls within this range depends on several factors, such as when they began puberty and how quickly they move through each stage of the adult male maturation process. The vast majority of men never stop producing sperm, but sperm count and sperm motility decrease dramatically for males as they reach the latter stages of life , particularly after the age of This overall reduction in the prevalence and quality of remaining sperm translates into increasingly lower fertility rates for men into their 50s and beyond.

To make this admittedly complicated topic a little simpler, we have created the following charts to help you understand healthy and unhealthy sperm counts:. Another method for measuring healthy sperm count, sometimes used by male fertility experts, is counting sperm per ejaculate:.

As widely reported, many modern couples choose to have children later than previous generations -- often for lifestyle reasons. This widespread societal shift leads many men to wonder if they will still have enough healthy sperm if they wait to conceive a child until their 30s, 40s or beyond. Remember that there's nothing to worry about because hair is just one of the body's many ways of telling you that you are on your way to manhood. You're growing hair in new places because hormones are telling your body that it is ready to change.

Some of the hormones that trigger this new hair growth come from your adrenal glands. Other hormones come from your pituitary say: puh-TOO-uh-ter-ee gland a pea-shaped gland located at the bottom of your brain. These pituitary hormones travel through your bloodstream and make your testicles "balls" grow bigger and start to release another hormone called testosterone that also helps make your body start sprouting hair in your pubic area, under your arms, and on your face.

Boys don't really need to do anything about this new hair that's growing. Later, when you're a teen, and the hair gets thick enough on your face, you may want to talk with your parents about shaving. You probably know what sweat is, but did you know that it's also called perspiration say: pur-spuh-RAY-shun? How does it happen? Perspiration comes out of your skin through tiny holes called pores when your body gets hot.

Your body likes a temperature that is If you get hotter than that, your body doesn't like it, so then your body sweats. The sweat comes out of the skin, then evaporates this means it turns from a liquid to a vapor into the air, which cools you down.

Sometimes this sweat or wetness can be smelly and create body odor sometimes called BO. During puberty, your hormones are working all the time, which explains why you sweat a lot and, well, sometimes smell. What makes it smelly? The sweat is made almost completely of water, with tiny amounts of other chemicals like ammonia say: uh-MOE-nyuh , urea say: yoo-REE-uh , salts, and sugar. Ammonia and urea are left over when your body breaks down protein. Sweat by itself is not really smelly, but when it comes in contact with the bacteria on your skin which everyone has it becomes smelly.

But how can you keep yourself from being all sweaty and smelly? First, you can shower or bathe regularly, especially after playing sports or sweating a lot, like on a hot day. You can also use deodorant under your arms. Deodorant comes in many good-smelling scents or you can use one that's unscented. Some deodorants come in a white stick that you can twist up.

Lots of people put this on after showering or bathing before they put their clothes on. Otherwise, the white stick deodorants can leave white marks on your clothes. You can also choose a deodorant that's clear instead of white. If you find these products aren't working for you, talk with your doctor. An erection is what happens when your penis fills up with blood and hardens. The penis will become bigger and stand out from the body. Boys will start to notice erections occurring more often when they reach puberty.

And they're perfectly normal. An erection can happen at any time. You can get many in one day or none at all. It depends on your age, sexual maturity, level of activity, and even the amount of sleep you get. An erection can happen even when you're sleeping. Sometimes you might wake up and your underwear or bed is wet. You may worry that this means you wet your bed like when you were little, but chances are you had a nocturnal emission, or "wet dream.

Semen is released through the urethra — the same tube that urine pee comes out of. This is called ejaculation. Wet dreams occur when a boy's body starts making more testosterone. If you've recently had sex without using a condom, you may have picked up a sexually transmitted infection STI. Visit a sexual health clinic, GP, nurse, young people's clinic or a community contraceptive clinic. Find a sexual health clinic near you. This can happen from time to time. To prevent it, wash gently behind the foreskin if you have one boys who have been circumcised don't have a foreskin when you bath or shower.

Use water, or water and a mild soap. Read more about washing your penis. If you're washing carefully and the symptoms don't go away, and you've had sex without a condom, you may have an STI. See a doctor, or visit a sexual health clinic, young people's sexual health or community contraceptive clinic.

Sperm is produced in the testicles balls and released in fluid called semen during sexual activity. Every time you ejaculate come you can produce more than million sperm. But it only takes one sperm to get a girl pregnant, and that can happen before the boy ejaculates. This is because the fluid that comes out of the tip of his penis before ejaculation called pre-ejaculatory fluid can contain sperm.

If you're having sex with a girl, always use contraception and condoms to prevent both pregnancy and STIs. Talk to your partner about what contraception she's using, and make sure that you use condoms as well. Yes, most boys have an erection when they wake up in the morning. This is a normal part of sexual development and growing up. Yes, this is normal and nothing to worry about. One theory is that it stops your testicles banging together when you run. Check your testicles every month by gently rolling them, one at a time, between your thumb and fingers to feel for any unusual lumps or bumps.

You'll feel a hard ridge on the upper back of each ball. This is the epididymis, where sperm is stored, and it's normal to feel it here.

If you feel any lumps, it probably isn't testicular cancer , but get it checked by a doctor anyway. Other warning signs include:. If you notice any of these, see your doctor. If caught early, testicular cancer can usually be treated successfully. This is when a boy or man ejaculates comes too quickly during sex.