Male Reproductive System

What is the male reproductive system?
Men reach the peak of their sexual activity at the age of 16 to 18 years just after they reach puberty. They can produce sperm continuously form puberty, which continues till the age of approximately 70 years of age. The organs making up the male reproductive system manufacture sperm as well as sex hormones. Sperm are necessary for reproduction, while sex hormones are necessary for the body changes at puberty. The male reproductive system is enclosed in a bony cage called the pelvis, which is made of pelvic bones in the front and sides and the sacrum behind.

What does the male reproductive system consist of?
The male reproductive system consists mainly of the penis, the scrotum, in which the two testes are suspended and the prostate, which lies near the urinary bladder.

There are other organs making up the male reproductive system, namely, the epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles and ejaculatory duct. Now let us study the structure and function of each part in greater detail:

The Penis

The penis is the male organ for reproduction. It is an organ made of spongy, erectile tissue, i.e. it can be engorged by blood to become enlarged and firm. This occurs after arousal before sexual intercourse.

The penis consists of a shaft or body of the penis and an enlarged head called as the glans. The penis is covered by skin throughout its length. At the portion of the glans the skin is not attached to the underlying tissue. This part of the skin is called as the foreskin and it protects the glans. The foreskin can be pulled back over the glans. The bulbous glans helps the entry of the penis into the vagina of the woman during sexual intercourse.

The penis is made of three columns of spongy tissue and many blood vessels. The columns of spongy tissue have two large columns on the upper side of the penis, while the third column lies beneath the other two and encircles the urethra. This opens as the urinary meatus or the opening for urination on the outside.

The Testes
The testes are the organs in the male where sperm are produced. The testes (singular: testis) are two in number and are suspended in a bag of skin called as the scrotum. After puberty is reached, which is attained at the age of 12 to 15 years in a male, the testes produce sperm at the rate of almost 125 million each day. Since sperm production is not efficient at body temperature, the testes hang outside the body, in the scrotum. This position keeps the testes cooler than that at body temperature and thus sufficient and efficient sperm production is achieved. The testes are packed with seminiferous tubules, which make sperm. The male hormone, testosterone is produced in the testes by special cells called as Leydig cells.

The Epididymis

The epididymis is a long, coiled tube that lies behind and above each testis. The epididymis is an organ where the sperm mature. Mature sperm leave the testis through the epididymis. They are stored there and then transported to the vas deferens.

The Vas Deferens

The vas deferens is a thick-walled muscular tube carrying mature sperm from the epididymis to one of the two ejaculatory ducts. During this transit, the sperm is mixed with fluid secreted by glands called as seminal vesicles. These are structures about 5 cm. long lying on the rear surface of the urinary bladder. These glands add fluid and nutrients to the sperm. During sexual activity, each vas deferens contracts or squeezes and pushes the sperm towards the urethra. The urethra is the tract through which urine and sperm go out of the body.

The Ejaculatory Ducts
The junction of the vas deferens and the duct of a seminal vesicle form the ejaculatory duct. There are two ejaculatory ducts, one on each side. These ducts join the urethra where it passes through the prostate gland.

The Prostate Gland
It is a gland shaped like an inverted pyramid and is about 3 cm. long. This gland surrounds the urethra as it emerges from the urinary bladder. The prostate secretes a milky fluid, which helps the sperm to swim and keeps them healthy. The prostatic fluid along with the sperm and secretions of the seminal vesicles forms the seminal fluid or semen. This fluid contains about 50 million sperm per milliliter.

After sperm enters the urethra during sexual activity, they are expelled out of the body into the vagina of the female by strong muscular contractions at the base of the penis.

What are the Sperm?

The sperm are male sex cells formed by the testis of a male. They consist of a head body and a tail. The head contains the genetic information of the father, which is needed to form a baby, once the sperm reaches an egg in the female genital tract. The body of the sperm gives energy for the tail to swim. The tail propels the sperm through the genital tract of a woman.