I've heard 72 hours,too.But,i've also heard that very healthy and active sperm can survive up to a week.So be careful!!!

Well...Lol....I am actually already pregnant..Lol.....There are several different day's that my boyfriend and I could have concieved and all and I was trying to figure out time of conception and what not!! All those day's could fit our timing but I wanna say he has healthy sperm..Lol....He is a pretty big health nut....No drinking..No smoking...No nothing bad..Lol...I don't know if that would make it a healthier sperm...Haha...It's all so confusing and I read so many different things and everything in all that you read is different...Thank you for your response!!

Sperm have a typical life span of 72 hours... however when a woman's body is approaching ovulation, (up to 5 days beforehand) she produces a mucus that can actually help the sperm last a bit longer than that, until ovulation time. There are little channels in the mucus that help sperm survive the climate of the vagina/uterus and help sperm travel to their destination, so to speak (imagine sort of a combination train system/hangout for sperm, until the time is right).

So while a sperm can live on average 72 hours, as ovulation draws near, a woman's body can help it hang on a little longer.