Lots of men want to produce more semen. Their reasons include producing more of its constituent sperm for fertility reasons, to increase the volume of their ejaculate for pride reasons, or increase the shooting distance of their ejaculate (for bragging rights..?) Each to their own.
First off, what is considered a normal amount of ejaculate? The typical volume can vary between individuals (and from time to time) amounting to between 1.5 ml and 5 ml. Even 5 ml is actually only a teaspoon of volume.
It turns out, there is also a peak age for ejaculate volume – reaching a maximum not in the late teens but in the mid-thirties and decreasing after the age of 50. Having said that, we should make clear from the start that there’s no known health or fertility benefit to shooting a big load. Even men who have had vasectomies can have the same ejaculate volumes after the ‘snip’ as before.
What are the factors determining semen volume?
Semen volume has most to do with the size of the seminal vesicles that produce it. Sperm from the vas deferens (10 percent of the volume) and prostate secretions (20 percent of the volume) are the other components of semen. Factors that determine the size of a man’s seminal vesicles, and any ethnic variations in size that exist, are currently unknown
Most of the guys who worry about volume do so because they are comparing themselves to what they see in adult films. Porn films may make a guy believe he should have a boatload of juice shooting forth. It hardly needs saying that what you see in porn is exaggerated and made to appear larger than life
Even with no bearing on your ability to please or impregnate a partner, you might want to increase the size of your ejaculate simply to please yourself — and that’s totally fine. To boot, ensuring you have a healthy volume can even be a means of improving your overall wellbeing.
One big determinant of your semen volume is how recently you last ejaculated. While you or your partner might prefer to have more consistent sex with less semen as opposed to less sex that produces more, if you want to increase volume, ejaculating less often is one very simple way to do it.
Other simple measures include staying hydrated and stopping smoking. Some theorize that smoking can inhibit your prostate’s ability to produce secretions. Others believe it’s the potential nerve damage that affects ejaculate. Regardless, stopping smoking is good for your health.
Just as what you put in your body is what you’ll get out of it, that same logic applies to your ejaculation volume. Meaning, eating a balanced, healthy diet is likely to help you in the semen volume department.
Suggestions to increase semen volume
So what foods should you target specifically if you’re serious about increasing your ejaculate?
Arginine, lysine and carnitine are all needed to keep testosterone levels normal and are found in foods like oatmeal, red meat, poultry, and tuna. Zinc is a component of semen, and with every ejaculate about 2 mgs are discharged. Among the foods rich in zinc are red meat, turkey and oysters. Lycopene is found in foods like tomatoes, peppers, and watermelon, and selenium is found in nuts.
As well as certain foods in your diet, some vitamin supplements are thought to have a positive impact on your body’s ability to produce semen. Semen is comprised of many common amino acids including arginine and lysine. It stands to reason that by increasing your intake of these components, you can effectively boost your ejaculations. There are also studies that suggest supplements for sex like horny goat weed, Gokshura and black maca may also help increase ejaculate.
Finally, there are pharmaceuticals – and here we are mainly talking testosterone treatments. There appears to be evidence that sometimes being on testosterone supplements can improve semen volume. However, you certainly shouldn’t go taking testosterone just for that reason, as it can have significant side-effects.
Ultimately, semen volume is probably far less important than you think, and while there are ways to increase it, you’re likely much better off focusing on improving other aspects of your sexual experience than attempting to squeeze an extra teaspoonful out of your seminal vesicles.