Please remember, this column is designed to help the consumer seeking behavioral-health information, and not intended to be any form of psychotherapy or a replacement for professional, individualized services. Opinions expressed in the column are those of the columnist and do not represent the position of other SelfhelpMagazine.com staff.

Question

How much liquid is there when a guy cums?

Answer

Despite what you may have read in some of those steamy books and stories in which Our Hero spurts like a firehose, the actual volume of ejaculate is around one teaspoon.

And what a spoonful it is! Though most of the fluid comes from the prostate gland (nestled like a collar around the urethra up against the bladder) the seminal vesicles, and other internal organs, the potent stuff takes up the volume of a tiny drop. Sperm are so microscopic that the aforementioned teaspoon of semen provides a veritable Mississippi for 120 to 160 million of them to seek their fortune or -- well, die.

03/18/98

Dr. Al Cooper, clinical director at the San Jose Marital and Sexuality Centre (408-248-9737), runs the training program for Counseling and Psychological Services at Stanford University. Dr. Cooper is internationally known for his work in sexuality and is freqently interviewed by the media. He currently writes a column in Men's Health Magazine.

Dr. Coralie Scherer coordinates online services for the Centre and specializes in sexual trauma, women's issues, and marital therapy.