Male Reproductive System

Organs and Functions
What’s the male reproductive system?
• The male reproductive system includes a group

of organs that make up a man’s reproductive
and urinary system. These organs do the
following jobs within your body:
• They produce, maintain and transport sperm (the
male reproductive cells) and semen (the protective
fluid around sperm).
• They discharge sperm into the female reproductive
tract.
• They produce and secrete male sex hormones.
The male reproductive system is made up of internal (inside your body)
and external (outside your body) parts. Together, these organs help you
urinate (rid your body of liquid waste materials), have sexual intercourse
and make children.
• External Genital • Internal Genital

• Penis • Testis
• Scrotum • Epididymis
• Vas Deferens
• Accessory Glands
• Seminal Vescicle
• Prostate Gland
• Buboeurethral glands
How does the male reproductive system function?
• The entire male reproductive system is dependent on hormones. These are

chemicals that stimulate or regulate the activity of your cells or organs. The
primary hormones involved in the functioning of the male reproductive
system are follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH)
and testosterone.
• FSH and LH are produced by the pituitary gland. It’s located at the base of
your brain and it’s responsible for many functions in your body. FSH is
necessary for sperm production (spermatogenesis). LH stimulates the
production of testosterone, which is necessary to continue the process of
spermatogenesis. Testosterone is also important in the development of
male characteristics, including muscle mass and strength, fat distribution,
bone mass and sex drive.
PENIS
• The penis is the male organ for sexual intercourse.
It has three parts:
1. The root: This is the part of the penis that attaches

to the wall of your abdomen.
2. The body or shaft: Shaped like a tube or cylinder,
the body of the penis is made up of three internal
chambers. Inside these chambers there’s a special,
sponge-like erectile tissue that contains thousands of
large spaces that fill with blood when you’re sexually
aroused. As the penis fills with blood, it becomes
rigid and erect, which allows for penetration during
sex. The skin of the penis is loose and elastic,
allowing for changes in penis size during an erection.
3.The glans: This is the cone-shaped end of the penis.
The glans, which is 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
• The scrotum is the loose pouch-like sac of
skin that hangs behind the penis. It holds
the testicles (also called testes), as well as
many nerves and blood vessels. The
scrotum protects your testes, as well as
providing a sort of climate control system.
• For normal sperm development, the testes
must be at a temperature slightly cooler
than the body temperature. Special
muscles in the wall of the scrotum allow it
to contract (tighten) and relax, moving the
testicles closer to the body for warmth and
protection or farther away from the body
to cool the temperature.
TESTIS (PLURAL: TESTES)
• They are the site of sperm production and are also
responsible for the production of testosterone.
Testosterone is a steroid hormone that is important
for a number of bodily functions, not just sex drive
and sperm development
• The testes take the form of two, egg-shaped organs
located in the scrotum. The scrotum hangs outside
the body. The location of the testes outside the
abdomen has evolved, at least in part, because the
testes need to stay cooler than body temperature to
fully function
• Originally, the testes are located on the posterior
abdominal wall. During embryonic development
they descend down the abdomen, and through the
inguinal canal to reach the scrotum. They carry their
neurovascular and lymphatic supply with them.
• The testes are located within
the scrotum.
• The testes are suspended from
the abdomen by the spermatic
cord. This is a collection of
blood vessels, nerves, and ducts
that support the health of the
testes
• The testes have an ellipsoid
shape. They consist of a series
of lobules, each
containing seminiferous
tubules supported by interstitial
tissue. The seminiferous tubules
are lined by Sertoli cells that aid
the maturation process of the
spermatozoa. In the interstitial
tissue lie the Leydig cells that
are responsible for testosterone
production.
• The whole mass is mostly
surrounded by the tunica
vaginalis. This covering allows
the testes to move smoothly
inside the scrotum. In adult
males, the testes are 2-3
centimeters (cm) wide by 3-5
cm long.1 The testes increase
in size through adulthood and
then decrease in size later in
life.
EPIDIDYMIS
• As sperm develop and mature they move

through the tubules until they are collected
in the rete testes and then passed through
to the epididymis. The epididymis is where
sperm mature before ejaculation.
EPIDIDYMIS- It carries and stores sperm cells that are created in the
testes. It’s also the job of the epididymis to bring the sperm to maturity.
• The epididymis consists of a single heavily

coiled duct. It can be divided into three
parts; head, body and tail.
Head – The most proximal part of the
epididymis. It is formed by the efferent
tubules of the testes, which transport
sperm from the testes to the epididymis.
Body – Formed by the heavily coiled duct
of the epididymis.
Tail – The most distal part of the
epididymis. It marks the origin of the vas
deferens, which transports sperm to the
prostatic portion of the urethra for
ejaculation.
VAS DEFERENS
• is a long, muscular tube that
travels from the epididymis
into the pelvic cavity, to just
behind the bladder and
transports mature sperm to
the urethra in preparation for
ejaculation.
Ejaculatory ducts:
• These ducts are
formed by the fusion
of the vas deferens
and the seminal
vesicles. The
ejaculatory ducts
empty into the
urethra.
SEMINAL VESCICLES
• : The seminal vesicles are sac-like
pouches that attach to the vas
deferens near the base of the
bladder. The seminal vesicles
make a sugar-rich fluid (fructose)
that provides sperm with a
source of energy and helps with
the sperms’ ability to move
(motility). The fluid of the seminal
vesicles makes up most of the
volume of your ejaculatory fluid,
or ejaculate.
Prostate gland
• is a walnut-sized
structure that’s 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..
Urethra
• which carries the ejaculate to
be expelled during orgasm,
runs through the center of the
prostate gland.
Bulbourethral glands
• The bulbourethral glands, or
Cowper’s glands, 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.
SPERM
EJACULATION- Discharge of semen from the penis
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Organs and Functions

What’s the male reproductive system?

• The male reproductive system includes a group

• External Genital • Internal Genital

• The entire male reproductive system is dependent on hormones. These are

1. The root: This is the part of the penis that attaches

• As sperm develop and mature they move

• The epididymis consists of a single heavily

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