Los Angeles has hosted its fair share of strange events, but this one might top the list: a real-life sperm race. It was an actual competition focused on sperm motility, raising over 1 million dollars and hosted by fertility tech startup, ExSeed Health.
A New Way to Talk About Male Fertility
Here’s a stat that deserves more attention: up to 50% of infertility cases are linked to male-factor issues. But for some reason, when we talk about fertility (especially in media or even healthcare settings) it’s still overwhelmingly focused on people with ovaries.
The sperm race was designed to shift that narrative.
At the LA event, sperm didn’t just race metaphorically, they competed on a custom-built track designed to mimic the female reproductive system, complete with tight turns, narrow passages, and obstacles representing the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes. Using samples submitted ahead of time, ExSeed Health analyzed the sperm for motility (how well and how fast they move) and the “race” was visualized using digital simulations based on each participant’s results. The fastest, most agile swimmers took home the win. No medals required, just bragging rights and a major conversation starter about male fertility.
Breaking the Silence, One Swimmer at a Time
Sperm counts have dropped significantly over the last 40 years, according to multiple large-scale studies. Environmental toxins, lifestyle factors and even stress play a role. Still, routine sperm testing isn’t something most people think to do until they’re deep into their TTC (trying to conceive) journey.
By turning sperm testing into something public, the event helped destigmatize a topic that’s still weirdly hush-hush.
What This Means for the Fertility Conversation
Reproductive health isn’t just a women’s issue. It never was. But until recently, there’s been little cultural space for men to talk about things like sperm quality, fertility testing, or even the emotional side of infertility. That silence? It can be isolating, and sometimes even damaging to couples trying to conceive.
So yeah, a sperm race might seem ridiculous. But if it gets people talking, testing, and taking action, that’s a win for us!
Ovry’s Take: More of This, Please
At Ovry, we believe that fertility care should be proactive, inclusive and stigma-free. That’s why we’re all about tools that empower people to understand their reproductive health before it becomes an issue, whether that’s ovulation tests, pregnancy tests, or at-home sperm testing.