How does semen smell?

Both men and women with sexual experience will notice that the semen ejaculated by men has a strong and special smell. Some people feel disgusted by this smell and say it is extremely unpleasant; some people find it fragrant and say it is refreshing and exciting. These two completely opposite feelings are closely related to physiological and psychological factors such as the sexual desire level of both parties, the depth of spiritual and physical integration, and attitudes towards sexual behavior. What scientists are interested in is where does the smell come from and what is the significance of its existence?

Semen, like saliva, gastrointestinal fluid, blood, etc., is a body fluid, but only semen has the most obvious smell. Semen is not pure like other body fluids, it is a mixture. In addition to sperm, other seminal plasma components are composed of prostatic fluid, epididymal fluid, seminal vesicle fluid, and various secretions from the urethra and vas deferens.

The smell of normal semen is emitted after the oxidation of a chemical called spermine, which is very similar to the smell of chestnut blossoms. Arginine is one of the many important components contained in prostate secretions. The oxidation of spermine must involve the seminal vesicle fluid. The prostatic fluid obtained through rectal massage generally does not have the smell of natural ejaculated semen. It can be seen that the smell of normal ejaculated semen comes from the prostate, but it is emitted with the participation of seminal vesicle fluid.

The lack of this special smell in semen often indicates prostate dysfunction, and the semen of many prostate patients often does not have this smell. As for the physiological significance of the special smell of semen, it is speculated that it may be related to sexual desire and sexual behavior. In lower animals, information about sexual activity and sexual selection between the sexes is mainly transmitted through odor; many mammals emit a special odor during the estrus period to attract the opposite sex. Although humans' access to sexual stimulation has expanded over evolution, smell has lost its place in sexual selection to vision. However, in recent years, scientists have discovered many secretions in the human body that can affect the opposite sex through smell, indicating that smell may still be one of the important sexual sensory organs of the human body, and it is necessary to conduct in-depth research.

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