You check how much there was

Everyone looks. Bigger feels like a better finish, to you and to whoever's watching, and a small one can feel like a let-down even when the orgasm was great.

For the record: a typical load is about 1.5 to 5ml. That's somewhere between a quarter and a whole teaspoon. Most of it is made by the prostate and seminal vesicles, not the testicles, and it changes day to day with how hydrated you are, how long it's been and how turned on you got.

You save it up for him

Hands off for a couple of days before a date, so there's more to give. It works, up to a point. Volume builds over the first few days after you last came, then levels off.

• Day 1: noticeably less. Your body is still restocking.
• Days 2 to 3: the sweet spot for most guys. Full tank, still fresh.
• A week or more: not much extra volume. Mostly just extra frustration, and a much quicker finish.

You edge to make it hit harder

Getting close, backing off, getting close again. Edging builds arousal in waves, so when you finally go, the contractions tend to be stronger and the orgasm feels bigger.

It mostly changes the feeling, not the amount. You might see a bit more pre-cum along the way and a more forceful finish, but edging won't double your load. That part is decided days before.

You've wondered what yours tastes like

Or you've been told. Cum is naturally a little salty, a little bitter, with a hint of sweet from the fructose in it. What you eat and drink in the day or two before does shift it slightly.

• Usually more bitter: coffee, beer, cigarettes, garlic, asparagus, lots of red meat.
• Usually milder: water, pineapple, citrus, melon, cinnamon.
• Biggest difference: drinking enough water and not smoking. The fruit gets the credit, the water does the work.

You're a bit proud of the mess

The sheets, the stomach, the occasional ceiling. A bit of evidence feels like a compliment. Cleaning it up is less fun, and most guys do it wrong.

• Cold water first. Cum is full of proteins. Hot water cooks them into the fabric and you get that stiff, yellow mark that never comes out.
• Rinse from the back of the fabric, then wash as normal.
• On skin: warm water and a quick wipe. It dries tight and flaky if you leave it.

You go for round two

The gap between finishing and being ready again is called the refractory period. It's completely individual. For some guys it's minutes, for others it's hours, and it gets longer with age. Both are normal.

• Helps: sleep, water, a snack, a change of scene, a different kind of touch.
• Hurts: a lot of alcohol, being run down, pressure to perform.
• Expect: round two is usually a smaller load and a longer build. That's the trade.

You feed it every day

Or you're about to. Everything above happens in the moment. This is the bit that happens every day in between, and it's the only one that changes what you've got to work with.

Semen is one of the most zinc-rich fluids in your body. Zinc levels in semen are many times higher than in your blood, and most of it comes from the prostate. Zinc contributes to normal fertility and reproduction and to normal testosterone levels.

Drink water, sleep, go easy on the booze and cigarettes, and give your body the zinc it uses to make the stuff. Daily, not just the day before.