Male Reproduction System
-The male reproductive system includes the scrotum, testes, spermatic ducts, sex glands, and penis.
-Organs work together to produce sperm, the male gamete, and the other components of semen.
-Organs also work together to deliver semen out of the body and into the vagina where it can fertilize egg cells to produce offspring.
Penis
-This is the male organ used in sexual intercourse.
It has three parts: the root, which attaches to the wall of the abdomen; the body, or shaft; and the glans, which is the cone-shaped part at the end of the penis.
-The glans, also called the head of the penis, is covered with a loose layer of skin called foreskin. This skin is sometimes removed in a procedure called circumcision.
Scrotum
-This is the loose pouch-like sac of skin that hangs behind and below the penis
-It contains the testicles (also called testes), as well as many nerves and blood vessels.
-The scrotum acts as a "climate control system" for the testes.
-Special muscles in the wall of the scrotum allow it to contract and relax, moving the testicles closer to the body for warmth or farther away from the body to cool the temperature.
Testicles (testes)
-These are oval organs about the size of large olives that lie in the scrotum, secured at either end by a structure called the spermatic cord.
-Most men have two testes. The testes are responsible for making testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, and for generating sperm.
Epididymis
-The epididymis is a long, coiled tube that rests on the backside of each testicle. It transports and stores sperm cells that are produced in the testes.
-It also is the job of the epididymis to bring the sperm to maturity, since the sperm that emerge from the testes are immature and incapable of fertilization.
Urethra
The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside of the body.
-In : males, it has the additional function of ejaculating semen when the man reaches orgasm.
-When the penis is erect during sex, the flow of urine is blocked from the urethra, allowing only semen to be ejaculated at orgasm.
Ejaculatory ducts
These are formed by the fusion of the vas deferens and the seminal vesicles (see below). The ejaculatory ducts empty into the urethra.
Seminal vesicles
-The seminal vesicles are sac-like pouches that attach to the vas deferens near the base of the bladder.
-The seminal vesicles produce a sugar-rich fluid (fructose) that provides sperm with a source of energy to help them move.
-The fluid of the seminal vesicles makes up most of the volume of a man's ejaculatory fluid, or ejaculate.
Prostate gland
-The prostate gland is a walnut-sized structure that is located below the urinary bladder in front of the rectum.
-The prostate gland contributes additional fluid to the ejaculate. Prostate fluids also help to nourish the sperm.
Bulbourethral glands
-These are pea-sized structures located on the sides of the urethra just below the prostate gland.
-These glands produce a clear, slippery fluid that empties directly into the urethra.
-This fluid serves to lubricate the urethra and to neutralize any acidity that may be present due to residual drops of urine in the urethra.
Vas deferens
-The vas deferens is a long, muscular tube that travels from the epididymis into the pelvic cavity, to just behind the bladder.
-The vas deferens transports mature sperm to the urethra, the tube that carries urine or sperm to outside of the body, in preparation for ejaculation.
