seminal fluid

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, pl.




(sē'mĕn, sē-mi'nă, sē'menz),
1. The penile ejaculate; a thick, yellowish-white, viscid fluid containing sperms; a mixture produced by secretions of the testes, seminal glands, prostate, and bulbourethral glands. Synonym(s): seminal fluid
2. Synonym(s): seed (1)
[L. semen (semin-), seed (of plants, men, animals)]

seminal fluid

See semen.


, pl. semina, pl. semens (sē'mĕn, -min-ă, -mĕnz)
Synonym(s): seminal fluid.
2. Synonym(s): seed (1) .


(floo'id) [L. fluidus, flowing]
A nonsolid, liquid, or gaseous substance. See: secretion

allantoic fluid

Fluid found in the fetal membrane that develops from the yolk sac.

amniotic fluid

A clear fluid that surrounds the fetus in the amniotic sac. Its primary functions are to suspend and protect the growing fetus, allow freedom of movement, maintain even constant temperature, and aid normal development of the fetal lungs. Volume increases from about 50 ml at 12 gestational weeks to around 800 ml at 38 weeks. The fluid is constantly being circulated by the fetus swallowing fluid, urinating, and inhaling/exhaling fluid during fetal respiration. Samples of amniotic fluid may be collected by amniocentesis to identify fetal chromosomal abnormalities, state of health, and maturity. Synonym: liquor amnii.
See: amniocentesis; oligohydramnios; polyhydramnios

ascitic fluid

Clear, pale, straw-colored fluid occurring in ascites. The fluid is normally sterile; its specific gravity is normally 1.005 to 1.015; the cellular content is less than 250 white blood cells per cubic millimeter, and its protein content is low. Cancer, heart failure, liver failure, peritonitis, and tuberculosis may alter the amount or character of ascites.

body fluid

A fluid found in one of the fluid compartments of the body. The principal fluid compartments are intracellular and extracellular. A much smaller segment, the transcellular, includes fluid in the tracheobronchial tree, the gastrointestinal tract, and the bladder; cerebrospinal fluid; and the aqueous humor of the eye. The chemical composition of fluids in the various compartments is carefully regulated. In a normal 154 lb (70 kg) adult human male, 60% of total body weight (i.e., 42 L) is water; in a normal adult female is 55% of total body weight is water (39 L).
See: acid-base balance; fluid replacement; fluid balance

Bouin fluid

See: Bouin fluid
Enlarge picture

cerebrospinal fluid

Abbreviation: CSF
The sodium-rich, potassium-poor tissue fluid of the brain and spinal cord. The fluid supplies nutrients and removes waste products; it is also a watery cushion that absorbs mechanical shock to the central nervous system. Synonym: spinal fluid See: lumbar puncture


The fluid is formed by the choroid plexuses of the lateral and third ventricles. That of the lateral ventricles passes through the foramen of Monro to the third ventricle, and through the aqueduct of Sylvius to the fourth ventricle. There it may escape through the central foramen of Magendie or the lateral foramina of Luschke into the cisterna magna and to the cranial and spinal subarachnoid spaces. It is reabsorbed through the arachnoid villi into the blood in the cranial venous sinuses, and through the perineural lymph spaces of both the brain and the cord. See: illustration


The fluid is normally watery, clear, colorless, and almost entirely free of cells. The initial pressure of spinal fluid in a side-lying adult is about 100 to 180 mm of water. On average, the total protein is about 15 to 50 mg/dL, and the concentration of glucose is about twothirds the concentration of glucose in the patient's serum. Its pH, which is rarely measured clinically, is slightly more acidic than the pH of blood. Its concentration and alkaline reserve are similar to those of blood. It does not clot on standing. Turbidity suggests an excessively high number of cells in the fluid, typically white blood cells in infections such as meningitis or red blood cells in intracerebral hemorrhage.

CSF may appear red following a recent subarachnoid hemorrhage or when the lumbar puncture that obtained the CSF caused traumatic injury to the dura that surround the fluid. Centrifugation of the fluid can distinguish between these two sources of blood in the spinal fluid: the supernatant is usually stained yellow (xanthochromic) only when there has been a recent subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Many conditions may cause increases in CSF total protein: infections, such as acute or chronic meningitis; multiple sclerosis (when oligoclonal protein bands are present); Guillain-Barré syndrome; and chronic medical conditions like cirrhosis and hypothyroidism (when diffuse hypergammaglobulinemia is present). The concentration of glucose in the CSF rises in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and drops precipitously in meningitis, sarcoidosis, and some other illnesses. Malignant cells in the CSF, demonstrated after centrifugation or filtering, are hallmarks of carcinomatous meningitis.


The CSF is normally sterile. Meningococci, streptococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Listeria monocytogenes, and gram-negative bacilli are recovered from the CSF only in cases of meningitis. Syphilitic meningitis is usually diagnosed with serological tests for the disease, such as the venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) test, the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test, or the fluorescent treponemal antibody test. Cryptococcal infection of the CSF may be demonstrated by India ink preparations, or by latex agglutination tests. Tuberculous meningitis may sometimes be diagnosed with Ziehl-Neelsen stains, but more often this is done with cultures. These last three infections (syphilis, cryptococcosis, and tuberculosis) are much more common in patients who have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) than in the general population.


crevicular fluid

Gingival sulcular fluid.

extracellular fluid

The body fluid outside of cells. It includes the interstitial, intravascular, and cerebrospinal fluids. Water is the common solvent of all these fluids. Approximately 36% of an adult's body fluids and 47% of and infant's body fluids are extracellular.

extravascular fluid

Interstitial fluid.

follicular fluid

The liquid rich in heparin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, anti-müullerian hormone, defensins, and other chemicals that surrounds developing oocytes as they mature in the ovary.

gingival fluid

Gingival sulcular fluid.

gingival sulcular fluid

Abbreviation: GSF
In dentistry, the fluid that seeps through the gingival epithelium. It increases with gingival inflammation. Cellular elements within GSF include bacteria, desquamated epithelial cells, and leukocytes. Electrolytes and some organic compounds are also present. Synonym: crevicular fluid; gingival fluid

interstitial fluid

Water and dissolved substances inside tissues but outside of cells and vessels. Interstitial fluid is largely the ultrafiltrate of arterial blood, having been pushed through capillary walls by hydrostatic force; therefore it has a salt concentration similar to blood serum. Normally, approximately 29% of an adult's body fluids and 40% of an infant's body fluids are interstitial fluids. Excess interstitial fluid is returned to the circulation by the lymphatics. An accumulation of excess interstitial fluid is called edema.
Synonym: extravascular fluid

intracellular fluid

Abbreviation: ICF
The potassium-rich, sodium-poor watery solution inside cells. Approx. 55 to75% of total body water is intracellular.

intraocular fluid

Fluid within the anterior and posterior chambers of the eye. Synonym: aqueous humor

intravascular fluid

That portion of the total body fluid contained within blood and lymphatic vessels.

peritoneal fluid

The clear straw-colored serous fluid secreted by the cells of the peritoneum. The few milliliters present in the peritoneal cavity moisten the surfaces of the two peritoneal layers and allow them to glide over each other as the intestinal tract changes shape during the process of digestion and absorption. In certain disease states (such as right-sided heart failure, cirrhosis, or ovarian malignancy) the amount of peritoneal fluid is increased.
See: ascites

pleural fluid

Fluid secreted by serous membranes in the pleurae that reduces friction during respiratory movements of the lungs. When excessive pleural fluid is secreted and not absorbed, a pleural effusion accumulates.

Scarpa fluid

See: Scarpa, Antonio

seminal fluid


serous fluid

Fluid secreted by serous membranes that reduces friction in the serous cavities (pleural, pericardial, and peritoneal).

spinal fluid

Cerebrospinal fluid

synovial fluid

Clear viscid lubricating fluid of the joint, bursae, and tendon sheaths, secreted by the synovial membrane of a joint. It contains mucin, albumin, fat, and electrolytes.
Synonym: synovia See: synovial joint

transcellular fluid

The extracellular fluid that lubricates the potential spaces of the body, such as the pleura and pericardium.

Zenker fluid

See: Zenker, Friedrich Albert von

seminal fluid

A creamy, greyish-yellow, sticky fluid that is forced out of the penis during the ejaculation that accompanies the sexual orgasm. Seminal fluid is secreted by the PROSTATE GLAND, the SEMINAL VESICLES, the lining of the sperm tubes and some small associated glands. It contains the male gametes, the SPERMATOZOA. Also known as sperm.

seminal fluid

the fluid in which the sperms are bathed.

Patient discussion about seminal fluid

Q. What health condition would produce blood and dark colored semen?

A. any inflammation in that area can cause that. from the urethra to the testis. here is a symptom checker that show you all the conditions that causes blood to show up in your semen and their other symptoms:

More discussions about seminal fluid
References in periodicals archive ?
Parameter Smokers Non smokers Volume (Mean [+ or -] SD) 3.05 [+ or -] 2.75 3.12 [+ or -] 2.25 Seminal fluid PH 7.64 7.62 Abnormal Morphology 73.0% [+ or -] 11.7 60.7% Type 1 & 2 motility 9.9% [+ or -] 7.8 15.2% Type 3 motility 28.1% (11.8) 29.1% Type 4 motility 62.1% [+ or -] 13.3 55.6% Concentration X [10.sup.6] 34.7 [+ or -] 28.6 43.7 [+ or -] 26.5 (mean [+ or -] SD) Seminal fluid Leukocyte 49% 35.5% count increased Parameter p value Volume (Mean [+ or -] SD) 0.450 Seminal fluid PH 0.345 Abnormal Morphology <0.005 Type 1 & 2 motility <0.005 Type 3 motility 0.457 Type 4 motility <0.005 Concentration X [10.sup.6] 0.549 (mean [+ or -] SD) Seminal fluid Leukocyte <0.005 count increased Table 3: Seminal fluid parameters among heavy smokers and non-heavy smokers.
Our observations of the role of seminal plasma in regulating potent inflammatory and angiogenic pathways in neoplastic cervical epithelial cells suggest use of barrier contraceptives as a method of preventing disease, not only as a barrier against HPV transmission, but as a method of preventing the inflammatory actions of seminal fluid on the neoplastic cervical micro-environment.
The reproduction-related body fluids breast milk, seminal fluid, and amniotic fluid all clustered together with bronchial lavage, peritoneal fluid, saliva, and tears.
Mutagenicity testing of seminal fluid: seminal fluid increases the mutagenicity of the precursor mutagen benzo[a]pyrene in the presence of $9 mix.
The major protease inhibitor, to which active single-chain PSA is covalently linked in a 1:1 molar ratio, is PCI.(19)) A smaller amount (30% to 40%) of catalytically inactive PSA in seminal fluid exists mainly as internally cleaved, two-chain or multichain forms of the protein(15, 21) reported to be the result of C-terminal cleavages at position Lysl45, but also at Lysl82.(21) The active proteases performing these cleavages are not yet identified.
Differences in calibration have also been proposed to contribute to variability among assays.[3,13] Differences may reflect calibrator assignment and composition of the calibrators and specific molecular form(s) used.[6,7] Initial assays used free PSA from seminal fluid as a calibrator material.
Physiological costs include seminal fluid toxicity (Chapman et al.
The amount of seminal fluid and spermatophores stored in the vas deferens both before (Y = 0.04X - 2.40, [r.sup.2] = 0.263, n = 335, P [less than] 0.001) and after (Y = 0.03X - 1.92, [r.sup.2] = 0.202, n = 335, P [less than] 0.001) one mating increased with male size [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 5 OMITTED].
When the condition is caused by activity other than contagious infection, it may be attributed to swelling caused by excessive sexual activity that strains the gland's ability to produce or store seminal fluid. (Urinary tract infections may mimic prostatitis.)
18), this quantity of seminal fluid would contain 100,000 viral particles.
The prostate, located between the bladder and the rectum, secretes seminal fluid, in which the sperm is carried.