How long do sperm live inside a woman?

Sperm can live inside a woman’s body for up to 5 days under the right conditions.

Here’s how it works:

🔹 Typical lifespan

  • In most cases, sperm survive 2 to 3 days in the female reproductive tract.

  • In very fertile cervical mucus (the clear, slippery discharge around ovulation), they can live up to 5 days.

🔹 Outside the fertile window

  • If cervical mucus is thick or dry (before or after ovulation), sperm usually die within a few hours.

🔹 Why this matters

Because sperm can live several days, having sex before ovulation can still result in pregnancy once the egg is released. This is why the fertile window is considered the 5 days before ovulation plus ovulation day itself.

👉 In short: Sperm can survive up to 5 days inside a woman’s body, making pregnancy possible even if sex happens days before ovulation.

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