Sex in zero gravity. Would it work?

[Tim_T-Bonham.net]

In terms of resulting in pregnancy, I mean.

Are there any experts here who could explain if a zero gravity environment would have any effect (pro or con) on the ability of sperm and egg to meet and fertilize?

With no expertise on the subject, my offhand guess is that zero gravity would make no difference, since sperm propel themselves with their tail, and can successfully fertilize an egg whether the woman is laying down, upright, moving around, whatever.

[Whack-a-Mole]

Gotta love this country as people have already looked in to this very question (no doubt looking forward to the dream of being the first person to have sex in freefall…which when you think about it sounds interesting but would likely be difficult). Anyway…

Under microgravity conditions, the phosphorylation of FP 130 and FP 160 occurred much more rapidly than it did under normal-gravity conditions," says Tash. This result is consistent with those obtained from the earlier sounding rocket experiments conducted by Engelmann. The researchers learned that the sperm will begin to move sooner and will move more rapidly in space than they will on Earth, but it is not clear whether faster sperm will actually lead to increased fertilization.

SOURCE: http://weboflife.nasa.gov/currentResearch/currentResearchFlight/seaUrchin.htm

A lot more there and there has been a follow-up experiment but it is a bit on the technical side for me.

[PlughPlover]

Sperm do use their tails, but gravity helps; women who want to get pregnant should elevate their hips or even stand on their heads for a few minutes after sex. On the other hand, plenty of women get pregnant who stand straight up after sex, too. So zero-G probably neither helps nor hurts.

[HeyHomie]

Damn it, one of these days NASA is going to stop dragging their feet and send a married couple up there to get down, so to speak. Imagine the press! The first baby conceived in space! He’s be all over Time magazine!

Then, they could send her up nine months later with a doctor, then induce labor, and then publicize the first baby born in space!

[matt]

Gravity isn’t terribly relevant to very small entities moving in a liquid. The “gravity assist” of standing on your head works by moving the liquid as a whole.

I’d be somewhat more worried about developmental effects on a fetus gestating in microgravity.

[MLS]

@matt

Gravity isn’t terribly relevant to very small entities moving in a liquid. The “gravity assist” of standing on your head works by moving the liquid as a whole.

I’d be somewhat more worried about developmental effects on a fetus gestating in microgravity.

I’ve often wondered about gestation in zero (or low) G. My first thought was that it would be a heck of a lot easier on mom, without the extra weight on one’s bladder, strain on the back, and so on. I’m also thinking that it would not cause a problem for the fetus, who is suspended in liquid, so it’s essentially the same thing, right? Or maybe not. I wish there could be a test done with some other animal to see what happens. After all, maybe some day we will want to travel more than a few weeks away from our solar system, and we should be prepared just in case.