Some women are happy to swallow semen. Others can’t stand the idea.

If a woman objects to semen in her mouth, the man should respect her wishes. No one should ever feel pressured or coerced in lovemaking. If she won’t accept semen in her mouth, the couple might try condom-covered fellatio. That way the man ejaculates inside her mouth, but not into it.

However, many women cite specific reasons why they disdain semen orally. Some fear injury from the force of ejaculation. Others dislike the taste. Some object to swallowing it. And some fear sexually transmitted infections.

Women need not fear injury from the force of ejaculation. Having a man orgasm in your mouth feels rather like biting down on a cherry tomato.

As for learning how to make semen taste better, my extensive search of the medical literature and the Internet show no studies, but no shortage of opinions. Urologists generally say men can’t modify the taste of semen.

“In healthy men,” says Lawrence Ross, M.D., of the University of Illinois, “the composition of seminal fluid is constant because it includes a precise mixture of components necessary to support sperm.” If its composition is constant, its taste must be, too.

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Speaking of composition, semen is about 96 percent water, plus:

• Sperm, which account for about 2 percent of ejaculate volume
• Fructose, fruit sugar, which nourishes sperm
• Vitamin C, which helps keep sperm healthy
• Sodium bicarbonate, an alkaline compound that protect sperm from the slightly acid environment of the vagina
• Various proteins and enzymes
• And several minerals: magnesium, phosphorus, potassium--and notably zinc, which gives semen its odd, metallic flavor

On the other hand, many women insist that diet has major impact on how to make semen taste better. Former porn actress, Annie Sprinkle, who claims to have tasted hundreds of men’s semen, says vegetarians taste best, that eating fruit and drinking fruit juices a few hours before sex improves the taste, and that smoking, alcohol, meats, and asparagus make semen less palatable.

Internet discussions agree. Fruit juices are often recommended to sweeten semen, notably, apple and pineapple. Meanwhile, foods reported to foul the taste include: meats, dairy, deep fried foods, coffee, alcohol, and asparagus (which makes sense because of its well-known ability to alter the aroma of urine), plus one nonfood item: cigarettes.

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While there’s no authoritative research on this subject, the foods that sweeten semen — fruits and vegetables — are good for health, while most of those that spoil it are risk factors for heart disease and cancer. So sweetening semen improves men’s health.

If a man would rather not change his diet, or if diet changes don’t provide sufficient taste enhancement, any foulness can be masked. Women can try sucking on peppermint or wintergreen lifesavers while providing fellatio.

As for fear of swallowing, semen is 96 percent water and there’s nothing harmful in it. It’s also non-fattening, only around 20 calories per ejaculation. To make swallowing easier, women might use lifesavers or keep a strong-flavored drink and a straw handy: wine, liqueur, grape juice, chocolate milk, or ice tea. After the man ejaculates, take a sip.

But if a woman would rather not swallow, that boundary should be respected. In porn, the women rarely swallow. Instead, they make a great show of letting semen dribble out of their mouths and massaging it into their skin. Some men find this erotic.

Finally, gonorrhea can be transmitted during fellatio, but other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, are unlikely to spread orally, unless the woman has bleeding gums or a sore that allows semen-to-blood contact. To eliminate risk of STI transmission, get tested for STIs. Or use condoms during fellatio.

RELATED: The TRUTH Behind Why Some Guy's Semen Just ... Doesn't Taste Good

Journalist/sex counselor Michael Castleman has covered sexuality, sex research, and sex therapy for 40+ years. On GreatSexGuidance, you can ask Michael anything you want for free, or search the Question and Answer Archives, his blogs, and more than 100 Great Sex Guidance articles to learn more about sex and enjoy more satisfying lovemaking.