What’s the normal semen volume? How fast does semen travel during ejaculation? Find out what’s normal and where you measure up.

Life isn’t a porno. Busty cheerleaders rarely order a sausage pizza, and when they do, the night doesn’t end in a rampant orgy with the delivery guy. This also means that the average joe rarely releases the explosive, enormous amounts of semen that porn tends to portray. So what’s the normal semen volume?

The average amount of semen that a guy releases may surprise you. According to World Health Organization (WHO) standards, the average amount of semen that a guy produces per ejaculation is a paltry 2.5 ml (for you ‘Mericans out there, that’s around half a teaspoon).

The scale of what qualifies as a “normal” amount? Between 1.5 ml (about 1/3 of a teaspoon) to 6.8 ml (roughly half a tablespoon). If you’re below 1.5 ml per ejaculation, there are several possible causes, including:

Frequent Sex: There’s only so much semen that your body can produce. If you’ve been ejaculating frequently (daily or more), chances are your natural stores are running pretty low, causing a lower volume.

Vitamin Deficiencies: How you fuel your body can affect performance on a lot of fronts, especially your reproductive system. If you’re not getting enough selenium (found mostly in nuts, seeds, beans, and fish) and zinc (found mostly in beef, poultry and lentils), your semen volume could be suffering. For foods that can boost your semen volume and quality, check out our list of the Top 12 Fertility Superfoods.

Obesity : Those extra pounds could be lowering your semen volume. Obesity (a BMI of 30.0 or above. Read our article on BMI and Male Fertility for more information.

Low T : Hormonal levels are what drives the majority of sexual function. Testosterone is the fuel that helps semen production. If T levels are too low, less semen is produced. Symptoms of low T include fatigue, weight gain, and a loss of sex drive.

Retrograde Ejaculation : Also known as a “dry orgasm”, retrograde ejaculation is a condition in which no semen is released during ejaculation. Instead of semen traveling out of the urethra upon orgasm, it’s shot back up the urethra and into the bladder.

Faster than the Speed of Spooge

The average speed of sperm leaving the body is roughly 28 mph (basically the speed limit in a residential district). As a guy ages, the force of an ejaculation (including the speed and distance of ejaculation, as well as semen volume) tends to decrease. This is because during the aging process, your muscles, including your prostate, start to lose strength, and since your prostate and pelvic muscles largely control ejaculatory force, the result is a weaker ejaculation.

While everybody is different and ejaculatory force is really just a matter of preference, if you do want a stronger ejaculation, Kegels are the way to go. Basically, Kegels are an exercise that increases pelvic strength. It involves finding the pelvic floor muscles and contracting, then releasing them periodically. Click here for a step by step guide to Kegels.