Biological Plugs

To the Mods - This features some naughty words. If it’s best placed in a different location in the Forums, please do not hesitate.
Once upon a time, I used to work in an establishment that bred rats and rabbits. We would often pair rats together for a time, then check to see if mating had taken place. This was accomplished by checking the vagina for a plug. Yes, a real, white or clear colored chunk of material is ejeculated by the male along with the semen. As a male of a different species, I found this to be almost impossible to believe. The function of the plug, I was told, is prevent leakage of the semen, making fertilization more likely.

On to rabbits… We would collect semen from a male, dilute it with warm water, then use that to inseminate the females. Every now and again, we found find a large clear jelly-like blob in the semen. I was told that this was the “plug” as it existed for rabbits. It was larger, but softer. It didn’t happen all of the time. (Rats would sometimes have 3 or 4 plugs in them.)

On to my question: Do humans have an equivalent “plug” in their semen? As a male, I should probably be expected to have the answer readily available. However, I can honestly profess that I have no experience with “plugs” of my own. That said, I have been told by several other males that they do have “plugs” and have often wondered about their function and presence.

Somehow, this issue never came up in any biology or human sexuality class that I have ever taken.

So close, so far away.

    Thanks.

I don’t know any more about human semen plugs than you do, but as for this, don’t worry: We’ve had a thread about pan-fried human semen in this forum (I think), another thread about feeding fish human semen, and any number of threads that fall within the general purview of human reproductive health. If you poke around a bit, you’ll find a poll regarding transplanting fecal material.

What I’m trying to say is, welcome to the SDMB!

The role of the plug was thought to be a male strategy to prevent the female from being fertilized by another male. However, some females eat the plug, making it a healthy snack. Humans do not have plugs, but some sperm functions as attack/barrier units designed to ward off other semen.

IANABiologist, but I’m thinking if humans had plugs neither partner would have to be the one sleeping on the wet spot.