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What Is The Male Reproductive System

The male reproductive system includes internal organs like the testicles which produce sperm and testosterone, and external organs like the penis. During puberty, the testicles begin to produce more testosterone which causes physical changes in boys as they develop into sexually mature men. The male reproductive system works by producing semen which contains sperm, and releasing it through the penis during sexual intercourse in order to reproduce.

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Abrar Ahmad
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44 views

What Is The Male Reproductive System

The male reproductive system includes internal organs like the testicles which produce sperm and testosterone, and external organs like the penis. During puberty, the testicles begin to produce more testosterone which causes physical changes in boys as they develop into sexually mature men. The male reproductive system works by producing semen which contains sperm, and releasing it through the penis during sexual intercourse in order to reproduce.

Uploaded by

Abrar Ahmad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What Is the Male Reproductive System?

The male has reproductive organs, or genitals, that are both


inside and outside the pelvis. The male genitals include:

 the testicles (pronounced: TESS-tih-kulz)


 the duct system, which is made up of the epididymis and
the vas deferens
 the accessory glands, which include the seminal vesicles
and prostate gland
 the penis
In a guy who has reached sexual maturity, the two oval-shaped
testicles, or testes (pronounced: TESS-teez) make and store
millions of tiny sperm cells.
The testicles are also part of the endocrine system because
they make hormones, including testosterone (pronounced:
tess-TOSS-tuh-rone). Testosterone is a major part of puberty in
guys. As a guy makes his way through puberty, his testicles
produce more and more of it. Testosterone is the hormone that
causes boys to develop deeper voices, bigger muscles, and
body and facial hair. It also stimulates the production of sperm.
Alongside the testicles are the epididymis and the vas deferens,
which transport sperm. The epididymis (pronounced: ep-uh-
DID-uh-miss) and the testicles hang in a pouch-like structure
outside the pelvis called the scrotum. This bag of skin helps to
regulate the temperature of testicles, which need to be kept
cooler than body temperature to produce sperm. The scrotum
changes size to maintain the right temperature. When the body
is cold, the scrotum shrinks and becomes tighter to hold in
body heat. When it's warm, it gets larger and floppier to get rid
of extra heat. This happens without a guy ever having to think
about it. The brain and the nervous system give the scrotum
the cue to change size.
The accessory glands, including the seminal vesicles and the
prostate gland, provide fluids that lubricate the duct system
and nourish the sperm. The urethra (pronounced: yoo-REE-
thruh) is the channel that carries the sperm (in fluid called
semen) to the outside of the body through the penis. The
urethra is also part of the urinary system because it is also the
channel through which pee passes as it leaves the bladder and
exits the body.
The penis is actually made up of two parts: the shaft and the
glans. The shaft is the main part of the penis and the glans is
the tip (sometimes called the head). At the end of the glans is a
small slit or opening, which is where semen and pee exit the
body through the urethra. The inside of the penis is made of a
spongy tissue that can expand and contract.
How Does the Male Reproductive System Work?
The male reproductive system:
makes semen (pronounced: SEE-mun)
releases semen into the reproductive system of the female
during sexual intercourse
produces sex hormones, which help a boy develop into a
sexually mature man during puberty
When a baby boy is born, he has all the parts of his
reproductive system in place, but it isn't until puberty that he is
able to reproduce. When puberty begins, usually between the
ages of 9 and 15, the pituitary gland — located near the brain
— secretes hormones that stimulate the testicles to produce
testosterone. The production of testosterone brings about
many physical changes.
Although the timing of these changes is different for every guy,
the stages of puberty generally follow a set sequence:
During the first stage of male puberty, the scrotum and testes
grow larger.
Next, the penis becomes longer and the seminal vesicles and
prostate gland grow.
Hair begins to grow in the pubic area and later on the face and
underarms. During this time, the voice also deepens.
Guys also have a growth spurt during puberty as they reach
their adult height and weight.
What Is the Female Reproductive System?
The external part of the female reproductive organs is called
the vulva, which means covering. Located between the legs, the
vulva covers the opening to the vagina and other reproductive
organs inside the body.

The fleshy area located just above the top of the vaginal
opening is called the mons pubis. Two pairs of skin flaps called
the labia (which means lips) surround the vaginal opening. The
clitoris, a small sensory organ, is located toward the front of the
vulva where the folds of the labia join. Between the labia are
openings to the urethra (the canal that carries pee from the
bladder to the outside of the body) and vagina. When girls
become sexually mature, the outer labia and the mons pubis
are covered by pubic hair.

A female's internal reproductive organs are the vagina, uterus,


fallopian tubes, and ovaries.
The vagina is a muscular, hollow tube that extends from the
vaginal opening to the uterus. Because it has muscular walls,
the vagina can expand and contract. This ability to become
wider or narrower allows the vagina to accommodate
something as slim as a tampon and as wide as a baby. The
vagina's muscular walls are lined with mucous membranes,
which keep it protected and moist.

The vagina serves three purposes:

It's where the penis is inserted during sexual intercourse.


It's the pathway (the birth canal) through which a baby leaves a
woman's body during childbirth.
It's the route through which menstrual blood leaves the body
during periods.
A very thin piece of skin-like tissue called the hymen partly
covers the opening of the vagina. Hymens are often different
from female to female. Most women find their hymens have
stretched or torn after their first sexual experience, and the
hymen may bleed a little (this usually causes little, if any, pain).
Some women who have had sex don't have much of a change in
their hymens, though. And some women's hymens have
already stretched even before they have sex.
The vagina connects with the uterus, or womb, at the cervix
(which means neck). The cervix has strong, thick walls. The
opening of the cervix is very small (no wider than a straw),
which is why a tampon can never get lost inside a girl's body.
During childbirth, the cervix can expand to allow a baby to pass.
The uterus is shaped like an upside-down pear, with a thick
lining and muscular walls — in fact, the uterus contains some of
the strongest muscles in the female body. These muscles are
able to expand and contract to accommodate a growing fetus
and then help push the baby out during labor. When a woman
isn't pregnant, the uterus is only about 3 inches (7.5
centimeters) long and 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide.
At the upper corners of the uterus, the fallopian tubes connect
the uterus to the ovaries. The ovaries are two oval-shaped
organs that lie to the upper right and left of the uterus. They
produce, store, and release eggs into the fallopian tubes in the
process called ovulation (pronounced: av-yoo-LAY-shun).
There are two fallopian (pronounced: fuh-LO-pee-un) tubes,
each attached to a side of the uterus. Within each tube is a tiny
passageway no wider than a sewing needle. At the other end of
each fallopian tube is a fringed area that looks like a funnel.
This fringed area wraps around the ovary but doesn't
completely attach to it. When an egg pops out of an ovary, it
enters the fallopian tube. Once the egg is in the fallopian tube,
tiny hairs in the tube's lining help push it down the narrow
passageway toward the uterus.
The ovaries (pronounced: OH-vuh-reez) are also part of the
endocrine system because they produce female sex hormones
such as estrogen (pronounced: ESS-truh-jun) and progesterone
(pronounced: pro-JESS-tuh-rone).

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