Reproductive and sexual anatomy: Males
Background teacher notes
Reproductive and sexual anatomy: Males
Overview
The male reproductive and sexual anatomy includes the external and internal sex organs, such as the penis and testes, and the internal reproductive organs, such as the urethra and seminal vesicle. The male reproductive system produces hormones, which help a boy develop into a sexually mature man during puberty. Males also use these organs to produce and release semen into the reproductive system of a female during sexual intercourse where it can fertilise an egg.
Male reproductive organs
| Organ | Description | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Testes | Egg shaped organs that sit in a soft pouch called the scrotum | Produce sperm |
| Scrotum | A sac of skin that contains the testes | Helps to regulate the temperature of the testicles to 36.8 °C which is slightly less than the body’s core temperature |
| Epididymis | Tightly coiled tube inside the testes | Sperm travel from testes to the epididymis where they mature - grow tails and are able to swim |
| Sperm duct (vas deferens) | The tubes coming out of each epididymis | During ejaculation, mature sperm travel along the vas deferens to the seminal vesicles |
| Seminal vesicle | Sac like gland that merges with vas deferens; 5 x 10 cm | Contributes 60% of seminal fluid which contains energy for the sperm in the form of fructose |
| Prostate gland | Gland at base of the bladder | Produces alkaline fluid, contributes 10-30% of seminal fluid |
| Cowper's gland | Small gland beneath prostate gland | Releases neutralising (pre-ejaculate) fluid to counter any traces of acidic urine still present in the urethra |
| Urethra | Tube running internally from bladder to penis and outside the body | Tube through which urine and semen pass to outside of body Semen and urine cannot exit the body at the same time |
| Penis | Consists of the shaft or body and the head or glans Is made of spongy tissue that grows and expands when filled with blood during an erection The head is highly sensitive, containing a massive number of nerve endings and is covered with a protective foreskin | Passage of urine and sperm outside the body Sexual pleasure |