General Sex Questions

Why does my semen contain thick strands when I ejaculate? Should I get checked?

There are several reasons why semen might contain thick strands when ejaculating. Maintaining reproductive health requires keeping an eye on changes in semen texture. Minor shifts normally go away with minor lifestyle changes and are not reason for alarm. However, if there are persistent changes coupled with uncomfortable symptoms, it is best to seek professional help. 

Dehydration 

To begin with, dehydration or simply not drinking enough water, can affect several bodily functions, including the consistency of your semen. Water makes up around 90% of semen, with additional components including proteins, enzymes, fructose, and sperm cells. Your body prefers to preserve water when you're dehydrated, which can have an impact on the production of men and other fluids. 

Semen hyperviscosity

With 12-29% of the cases, professionals refer people with the similar issue to semen hyperviscosity, which is caused by the oxidative stress, biochemical and/or genetic factors. Hyperviscosity can impair normal sperm movement and is usually treated with a hypodermic

needle, mucolytic enzymes, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents in certain cases. There are ways to identify if you might have it, and it can be diagnosed by a healthcare professional through a semen analysis.  Additionally, research claims that high consumption of omega-3 fats was positively connected with a more favorable sperm morphology in this case. 

Frequency of ejacuation 

The consistency of semen can be affected by the frequency of ejaculation. Semen may thicken if there is a longer interval between ejaculations.

Diet/ Lifestyle factors linked to mental health

It is not a secret thatsmoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, bad sleep quality, obesity, and stress could have an enormous impact on the quality of the semen and overall fertility. Testicular health, which is more sensitive to environmental, physiological, and physical stressors than any other organ, can be highly predicted by sperm morphology. Certain medications for mental health conditions, antibiotics, hormonal medications and others can also have an effect on thick strands in the semen. 

To conclude, even though all of these might be potential causes of the thick semen, more information is needed (e.g., age, weight, diet, sexual history and fertility, other symptoms and past medical history, etc) to make a valid conclusion. 

If you think that you can benefit from professional support on this issue you can reach out here

References 

Attaman, J. A., Toth, T. L., Furtado, J., Campos, H., Hauser, R., & Chavarro, J. E. (2012). 

Dietary fat and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic. Human 

Reproduction, 27(5), 1466–1474. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/des065

Du Plessis, S. S., Gokul, S., & Agarwal, A. (2013). Semen hyperviscosity: causes, 

consequences, and cures. Front Biosci (Elite Ed), 5(1), 224-31.

Joo, K., Kwon, Y., Myung, S., & Kim, T. (2012). The effects of smoking and alcohol intake on sperm quality: Light and transmission electron microscopy findings. Journal of International Medical Research, 40(6), 2327–2335. https://doi.org/10.1177/030006051204000631

Menkveld, R., Holleboom, C. A., & Rhemrev, J. P. (2011). Measurement and significance of 

sperm morphology. Asian Journal of Andrology, 13(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1038/aja.2010.67

Singh, S. V. (2014). Factors influencing semen analysis in cases of infertility (Doctoral 

dissertation, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India).