Is there a fatal overdose of semen?

[Annie-Xmas]

We've all heard the rumour about <insert name of rock star here> collapsing and being rushed to the hospital, where the doctors think it's a drug overdose so they pump his stomach only to find a bunch of semen. But could a human die from an overdoes of semen? If so, how much would be required? How many men would it take?

If not human, is there some animal semen that could kill a person? Which animal and how much?

Some days my co-workers & I have interesting lunchtime conversations.

[chowder]

Dear me you sure can ask the darndest questions.

I guess if you fell into an Olympic size pool full of jizz and you couldn't swim.......:eek:

[VunderBob]

The amount necessary to cause drowning?

[cher3]

What would they die from? It's just composed of cells and the nutrition required for those cells. It's probably somewhat nutritious.

[irishgirl]

It's like asking if someone could overdose from meat or protein shakes.
In short, no.

[Colibri]

If not human, is there some animal semen that could kill a person? Which animal and how much?

What's gray and comes in quarts and gallons?

An elephant

I suppose that a full ejaculation from a Blue Whale would burst your stomach, but that's the only cause of mortality I could see.

[Really Not All That Bright]

What would they die from? It's just composed of cells and the nutrition required for those cells. It's probably somewhat nutritious.
Presumably there's a good deal of bacteria in there too.

[Humble Servant]

What if you shot it up?

Dried it and inhaled it?

[WhyNot]

Presumably there's a good deal of bacteria in there too.

:confused: Not in a healthy man, no. Having bacteria in the semen would be an indication of infections - and even there, most (not all, but most) bacteria is killed by stomach acid. I mean, I wouldn't want to swallow the semen of a man with HIV, HPV, bladder, prostate or other urinogential infection, but healthy semen shouldn't be particularly bacteria ridden. Certainly not as much as boogers, seeing as their role is to catch and hold on to bacteria. And people do eat boogers and survive it.

[AndrewL]

It is possible to be allergic to semen, and there have been cases of women who died after having sex unprotected for the first time from an allergic reaction. It's pretty damn rare however.

[Dreamy B]

What if you shot it up?

Dried it and inhaled it?

Pan fried?!?!

[WhyNot]

It is possible to be allergic to semen, and there have been cases of women who died after having sex unprotected for the first time from an allergic reaction. It's pretty damn rare however.
Cite? Not for the allergic to semen - I've heard that too, but "died after having sex unprotected for the first time" reeks of scaremongering Urban Legend to me. Not to mention contrary to the little I know of the allergy process - where you have to be exposed to the potential allergen at least once to sensitize you before you have an allergic reaction to it the 2nd, 3rd or nth exposure.

[Baron Greenback]

And people do eat boogers and survive it.

It is (hopefully) rare to eat someone else's though.

[Really Not All That Bright]

:confused: Not in a healthy man, no. Having bacteria in the semen would be an indication of infections - and even there, most (not all, but most) bacteria is killed by stomach acid. I mean, I wouldn't want to swallow the semen of a man with HIV, HPV, bladder, prostate or other urinogential infection, but healthy semen shouldn't be particularly bacteria ridden. Certainly not as much as boogers, seeing as their role is to catch and hold on to bacteria. And people do eat boogers and survive it.
This (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120121605/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0) study (sorry, can't figure out how to view more than the abstract) suggests that there's a pretty good variety of bacteria present in the seminal fluid normally.

[WhyNot]

This (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120121605/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0) study (sorry, can't figure out how to view more than the abstract) suggests that there's a pretty good variety of bacteria present in the seminal fluid normally.
Nothing from the normal men would cause a problem when ingested. I assumed by your context you meant pathogens - bacteria that would cause illness. Yes, I'll grant you that "bacteria" are present in semen, as they are everywhere - on your skin, your eyelids, your partner's tongue...

[Yookeroo]

Cecil (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/46/how-many-calories-are-in-the-average-male-ejaculation) can give you some info on nutritional value.

[Her Royal IMFness]

Well, considering that one of the older English definitions for the word "die" can also mean orgasm................................................................

[Squink]

single cell proteins (http://books.google.com/books?id=5lfTnwR1HEgC&pg=RA1-PA301&lpg=RA1-PA301&dq=%22single+cell+protein%22+DNA+toxicity&source=web&ots=-XjXDklhoJ&sig=0JXi6DMo5g43Yp1wKPvEh3fqlyI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PRA1-PA302,M1)The major problem that occurs with SCP (single cell proteins) for human consumption are their very high concentration of 4 to 20 percent nucleic acids against the allowed concentration of 2 percent....

The problem that occurs from the consumption of of proteins with high concentrations of nucleic acids is the high level of uric acid, which may lead to kidney stone formation and gout.
I took a quick look for the %DNA content of semen, and did not turn up a decent figure for it.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Nothing from the normal men would cause a problem when ingested. I assumed by your context you meant pathogens - bacteria that would cause illness. Yes, I'll grant you that "bacteria" are present in semen, as they are everywhere - on your skin, your eyelids, your partner's tongue...
Can't almost any human-basic flora cause illness if it gets in the right orifice?

[DLuxN8R-13]

What if you shot it up?

Dried it and inhaled it?

On the off chance you're actually wondering about this and not just being silly, I'll throw out a couple of WAGs, in inverse order to your questions.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and have no medical knowledge whatsoever, but I do know quite a bit about routes/methods of administration for various licit, semi-legit, and undeniably unlawful substances.

1. I do not think snorting or smoking (not sure which you meant by "inhaled", here) dehydrated jit would be likely to have much of an effect on a person -- other than probably triggering a sneeze attack or a coughing fit, depending on which one you did. Dried jit would be an inert protein powder; methinks consuming it thusways would be like insufflating powdered milk or smoking Gainer's Fuel.

2. Slamming the stuff, on the other hand, sounds like it would be a very bad thing to do, indeed -- because it would probably be rather thicker than the blood it was injected into, therefore likely to coagulate and become a clot of foreign matter in the bloodstream which could block off circulation to a limb or a vital organ, triggering all manner of ill effects from gangrene to heart attack to cerebral embolism.

[Chronos]

Cite? Not for the allergic to semen - I've heard that too, but "died after having sex unprotected for the first time" reeks of scaremongering Urban Legend to me.I dunno, I'd be a lot more weirded out if she died first and then had her first unprotected sex afterward. Let's keep things in their proper order, shall we?

[Full Metal Lotus]

A man with a forceful enough orgasm could theoretically blow off the back of your head.. so don't date superman...

FML

[WhyNot]

Can't almost any human-basic flora cause illness if it gets in the right orifice?
I don't think so, no. We generally have far more "healthy" bacteria on us than dangerous bacteria. Some healthy bacteria does things directly for us - like help break down food in our gut, and some doesn't do much directly for us either way, but takes up real estate and food so that bad bacteria don't have a place to move in and thrive. Most of them don't cause a problem if you get them into a new place, say a cut or scrape or in your mouth.

The big three bacteria we have that are harmless normally and dangerous in the wrong place are e. coli, staph and strep. E coli is found in the intestine, where it's safe, but can cause illness if eaten; staph and strep are found on nearly all skin and mucus membranes, and can cause infections if they get in scrapes or cuts or in the blood.

If you're getting e coli from semen, you're doing it wrong. ;)

You win the pedant race - yes, there is bacteria in healthy semen. But it's not bacteria that is likely to cause illness when swallowed. Semen isn't "dirty", although it's not sterile like urine.

[Capcha]

I seem to recall (though i have no cite or link to thread) some poster wrote about one pregnant woman, who felt quite faint, that she went to the doctor in fear for her health and her unborn child. After examination and test results, it turns out that she had intercourse with her dog and she was allergic to its semen.

[dba Fred]

Some days my co-workers & I have interesting lunchtime conversations.

Where do you have lunch and is there a clinical trial I can be a part of? :)

[Really Not All That Bright]

You win the pedant race - yes, there is bacteria in healthy semen. But it's not bacteria that is likely to cause illness when swallowed. Semen isn't "dirty", although it's not sterile like urine.
Fair enough, then.

Let the record show that I am certainly not in favor of any scurrilous rumor that results in less head.

[dba Fred]

Fair enough, then.

Let the record show that I am certainly not in favor of any scurrilous rumor that results in less head.

Please tell me what party this is a platform plank of so that I may change my affiliation accordingly :p

[Really Not All That Bright]

Please tell me what party this is a platform plank of so that I may change my affiliation accordingly :p
*cough*partyofClinton*cough*

[Happy Lendervedder]

I think another question worth pondering is "How long could a human being survive on a diet of pure semen?" And would the answer depend on the diet of the man providing the semen?

[WhyNot]

I think another question worth pondering is "How long could a human being survive on a diet of pure semen?" And would the answer depend on the diet of the man providing the semen?
Well, since Cecil didn't address the nutritional content of semen, just the approximate caloric value, we'll have to look elsewhere for an expert opinion. Google quickly found me this answer (http://www.medhelp.org/forums/urology/archive/1118.html) from an MD on a urology forum:
The normal ejaculate contains approximately 2.0 to 3.0 cc. Of that , 1.5 to 2.0 cc come from the seminal vesicles. 0.5cc from the prostate and 0.1 to 0.2 cc from Cowper’s gland. The majority of the fluid is protein. A very small amount is fructose ( sugar). The caloric content is low with almost no fat.
So, very low carbs, very low fat, and probably not much in the way of vitamins and minerals. I'd except someone on a semen only diet to develop diarrhea and other symptoms of "rabbit starvation" within a fortnight (sooner if they were slender to begin with), and rickets, scurvy and other vitamin deficiencies if they continued longer.

[Moirai]

God, I love this board.

:cool:

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

I'll grant you that "bacteria" are present in semen, as they are everywhere -
Ummmm, no.

Semen should be sterile, just like urine, when it leaves the body. Unless infection such as prostatitis or orchiditis is present.

Blood and cerebrospinal fluid should also be sterile.

[WhyNot]

Ummmm, no.

Semen should be sterile, just like urine, when it leaves the body. Unless infection such as prostatitis or orchiditis is present.

Blood and cerebrospinal fluid should also be sterile.
Maybe I don't understand what "sterile" means, then. There is some amount of bacteria in healthy semen, according to this abstract (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117986693/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0), unless I'm reading it wrong:
Our aim was to compare the presence and species composition of coryneform bacteria in chronic prostatitis patients and controls. Semen of 50 men with inflammatory prostatitis and 59 controls (without pelvic pain/discomfort complaints and leukocytospermia) was investigated. First-catch urine was additionally investigated in 36 men (30 with and 6 without prostatitis). Coryneform bacteria were found in semen of 76% men with inflammatory prostatitis and 83% controls. More than half of the isolates were identified as Corynebacterium seminale. Prostatitis patients with severe leukocytospermia (>1 million white blood cells per ml) harboured significantly more Corynebacterium group G (33% vs. 2%, p = 0.0003) and Arthrobacter sp. (17% vs. 2%, p = 0.03) in comparison with controls. Nine species of coryneforms with high concentration (≥10 000 CFU per ml) were found in prostatitis patients as against only four species in controls. Half of the men harboured corynebacteria in semen as well as in urine, 22% of men in semen only, and 3% in urine only. The total concentration of coryneforms was greater in semen than in urine (median 5000 vs. 100 CFU per ml, p = 0.053). We suggest that although coryneforms are generally considered as saprophytes, they are not uniform and some species (Corynebacterium group G and Arthrobacter sp.) may be associated with inflammatory prostatitis.
(bolding mine)

And from here (http://www.gfmer.ch/Endo/Lectures_09/semen_analysis.htm):
Direct measurement of infectious contamination is obtained from bacteriological cultures of both aerobic and anaerobic germs. In normal conditions semen is not sterile but rather colonized at low levels by a variety of germs. Recent studies have shown that bacterial colonization did not have negative impact on sperm-cervical mucus interaction.
(bolding, again, mine)

Now, of course, I'm an A&P student at the moment and you know vastly more about this stuff than I do! If you have a moment to explain why I'm wrong, that'd be super. I have a test on Thursday. ;)

[DWMarch]

The answer to the question is yes and here's the proof, courtesy of Too $hort:

But then I shot that fatal nut
Must of knocked that bitch on her butt
She couldnt even breathe, she was holdin her throat
Me and my homies just hit the door
My homeboy said $hort dont worry
But that next day I read this story
A young girl died just last night
She choked on sperm in her windpipe
It was on her face, her neck, and chest
And were sorry to say theres no suspect
When I saw that my brain clicked
I bust a nut and killed a bitch

Lyrics taken from here (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/too+short/blow+job+betty_20139343.html)

[Der Trihs]

What would they die from? It's just composed of cells and the nutrition required for those cells. It's probably somewhat nutritious.IIRC, I read some time ago that it also contains a natural drug evolved to manipulate a female body into diverting extra energy towards reproduction; a drug which normally has no effect because females have developed a resistance to it ( a kind of Red Queen's Race common in nature I understand ). However, there was an experiment where a strain of lab rats were bred to have extra concentrations of this substance - which still had no effect because the females got more resistant right along with them. But when they tried breeding a male of this strain to a normal female, she died - her body diverted so much to her reproductive system that her other organs couldn't function.

Assuming that human males have the same substance ( IIRC they do ), it seems to me that enough of it could have the same effect.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

WhyNot, you are correct and I am in error. My bad. Current thinking is that a certain degree of colonization by bacteria is often normal and not a marker for disease.

Thank you for pointing out my mistake and giving me the opportunity to advance my continuing education.

[Really Not All That Bright]

WhyNot, you are correct and I am in error. My bad. Current thinking is that a certain degree of colonization by bacteria is often normal and not a marker for disease.

Thank you for pointing out my mistake and giving me the opportunity to advance my continuing education.
*ahem*

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

*ahem*
Yes, you too for raising the issue originally............ :smack: