The Reproductive System
Male Reproductive System
1. Testes
- primary reproductive organ which both have an endocrine
and exocrine fxn
- plum sized
- 4 cm long and 2. 5 cm wide
- Tunica Albuginea, or white coat, is a fibrous connective
tissue that surrounds each testis.
- Seminiferous tubules, sperm forming factory that empties
sperm into the rete testis
- Epididymis, external surface of the testis and first part of
the duct system
- Interstitial cells, aka Leydig’s cells, are cells that produces
androgens = testosterone (secondary sex characteristics)
2. Duct System
- Epididymis
 Cup-shaped
 Highly-coiled tube
 Hugs the posterior part of the testis
 Temporary storage site for immature sperm
 Sperm’s trip is about 20 days
 If aroused, this part contracts to expel the sperm
- Ductus Deferens
 Aka vas deferens
 From the epididymis to the inguinal canal
 Enclosed along blood vessels and nerves
 Spermatic cord, connective tissue sheath
 End of the ductus deferens expands as the
ampulla
 MAIN FXN: to propel live sperm from their
storage sites
 If ejaculating, thick layers of smooth muscle in
its walls create a peristaltic waves = squeeze the
sperm forward
 Scrotum, skin sac hanging outside the body
cavity
 Vasectomy, small incision in the scrotum and
ligates the vas deferens.
 Sperms are still produced when males undergo
vasectomy. But what happen to sperm is that they
deteriorate and phagocytized. Also, sex drive and
SSC are retained.
- Urethra
 Terminal part
 3 regions:
o Prostatic Urethra
o Intermediate or Membranous Urethra
o Spongy (Penile) Urethra – surrounded
by 3 elongated areas of erectile tissue
 Carries both sperm and urine (Urinary and
Reproductive) but not at the same time
Accessory Glands
1. Seminal Glands
- Seminal vesicle
- Located at the base of the bladder
- Produces abt 60% of seminal fluid
- Thick, yellowish secretion rich in Fructose, Vitamin C,
Prostaglandins = nourishment and activation of sperm
2. Prostate
- Milky fluid that plays a role in activating sperm
- Can be palpated by digital examination through the anterior
rectal wall
- Health destroyer
- Hypertrophy, increase in its size independent of the body’s
growth. Makes urination difficult and enhances risk of
cystitis (inflammation of the bladder)
- Prostatitis, inflammation of prostate
- Prostate Cancer, 3rd most prevalent cancer in males. Silent
killer
3. Bulbo-urethral Glands
- Pea-sized
- Thick, clear mucus that drains into the penile urethra
- First to pass down when a man is sexually excited
- Serves as a lubricant during s. intercourse
4. Semen
- Milky white and sticky mixture of sperm and accessory
gland secretions
- Mature sperm cells are streamlined cellular “missiles”
- Fructose in seminal vesicle as energy fuel
- Sluggish under acidic condition
- Neutralizes the acidic vagina
- Contains antibiotic chemicals, such as relaxin, enhances
sperm motility
- Also dilutes the sperm
- 2 to 5ml is propelled out of the system which contained 50
to 150 million sperm.
- Sperm lower than 20 million per ml makes impregnation
improbable
External Genitalia
1. Scrotum
- Sac of skin with sparse hairs that hangs outside the
abdominal cavity
- Hangs loosely from attachment, providing testes with a
temp below normal
- Viable sperm can’t be produced at normal body temp
- Scrotum provides temp abt 3 degrees lower is necessary to
produce healthy sperm
2. Penis
- Deliver sperm to the female reproductive system
- Shaft, body of the penis
- Glans penis, enlarged tip
- Prepuce or foreskin, loose covering of the penis that foms a
cuff on the skin
- Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin shortly after
birth
Erection – during arousal, penis becomes enlarged and rigid.
Male Reproductive Functions
- MAIN FXN: produce sperm and testosterone
Spermatogenesis
- Sperm production
- Begins during puberty and continues throughout life
- Sperms are formed in the seminiferous tubules
- Spermatogonia, primitive stem cells which go through
rapid mitotic divisions
- During puberty, FSH is secreted in large amounts by the
anterior pituitary gland
- Type a daughter cell, remains at the tubule periphery to
maintain stem cell population
- Type b daughter cell, gets pushed toward the tubule lumen
= primary spermatogocyte, to undergo meiosis and form 4
sperm
The Reproductive System

- Meiosis, special type of nuclear division which results in 4  Oocyte is viable for up to 24 hrs.
daughter cells/gametes  To reach oocyte, sperm must swim against the
- Spermatids have only half of the genetic material. The downward current (created by the cilia) thru the
other half, ovary vagina and uterus to reach the fallopian tubes
- 46 chromosomes  Gonorrhea
- Spermiogenesis, all the excess cytoplasm is sloughed off  Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, scarring and
and what remains in compacted into sperm closure of the uterine tubes which causes
- 3 regions: head (DNA), midpiece (MITOCHONDRIA), infertility
and tail (FILAMENTS) - Uterus
- Sperm “pack” light  Womb
- Acrosome, produced by the golgi apparatus which is  Hollow organ that fxns to receive, retain, and
similar to lysosome nourish fertilized egg
- Process from the formation of the primary spermatocyte to
 Never been pregnant = size and shape of a pear
release of immature sperm in the tubule lumen takes 64 to
 During pregnancy, it increases tremendously
72 days.
 Suspended in the pelvis posteriorly by the round
- Are moved by peristaltic waves because sperm are still
and uterosacral ligament
unable to swim (immature)
- Antibiotics: Penicillin and Tetracycline, suppresses sperm  Body, major portion of the uterus
formation  Fundus, superior rounded region above the
entrance
Testosterone Production  Cervix, narrow outlet
- Most important hormone product of the testes  3 layers of uterus:
- LH activates the interstitial cells o Endometrium
- Increase in testosterone = appearance of SSC: deepening of  Inner layer / mucosa
voice, hair growth, enlargement of skeletal muscles, etc.  Fertilization = egg burrows in
- “masculinizing hormone” to the endometrium,
- Sexual infantilism, if testosterone is not produced, implantation
reproductive organs remains childlike. It also results to the  Implantation, egg resides in
decrease of sex drive. the endometrium for the rest
- Sterility, as testosterone is necessary for sperm production. of its development
 When not pregnant, lining is
sloughs periodically, every
Female Reproductive System 28 days = Menstruation/
1. Ovaries Menses
- Twice as large as almond  Cervical Cancer, common
- Ovarian follicles, tiny saclike structures among 30 to 50 yrs. old
- Oocyte, immature egg  Pap Smear, diagnostic test for
- Follicle cells, layers of different cells this type of cancer
- Antrum, fluid-filled central region  Human Papilloma Virus,
- Vesicular or Graafian Follicle, stage wherein follicle is cause of cervical cancer
mature and developing egg is ready to be ejected from the  Gardasil, 3-dose vaccine that
ovary, Ovulation is a protection from cervical
- Corpus luteum, very different structure which eventually cancer
degenerates o Myometrium
- Ovulation occurs for 28 days  Bulky middle layer
- For older women, surface of the ovaries are pitted and  Interlacing bundles of smooth
scarred w/c means many eggs have been released muscles
- Suspensory ligaments, ovaries are secured to the lateral
 Active during the delivery of
walls of the pelvis
baby
- Ovarian ligaments
o Perimetrium
- Broad ligaments, enclosed by a peritoneum
 Outermost serous layer
 Visceral peritoneum
2. Duct System
- Fallopian Tubes - Vagina
 Site of fertilization  Thin walled tube 8 to 10 cm long
 10 cm long  Birth canal, passageway for the delivery of infant
 Enclosed and supported by the broad ligament  Receives the penis and semen during intercourse
 No actual contact between the uterine tubes and  Female organ of copulation
ovaries  Hymen, thin fold of mucosa at the distal end.
 Fimbriae, fingerlike projections of the funnel- Very vascular and tends to bleed when ruptured
shaped infundibulum. Partially surrounds the (if first time)
ovary
3. External Genitalia
 Fluid currents to carry the oocyte into the
- Aka vulva
fallopian tube
- Mons pubis
 Peristalsis + rhythmic beating of cilia
 Fatty, rounded are around the pubic symphysis
The Reproductive System
 After puberty, this is covered with pubic hair
- Labia
 Labia Majora, 2 elongated hair-covered skin fold.
Encloses the vestibule , external opening of the
vagina
 Labia Minora, 2 delicate hair-free folds
- Clitoris
 Small protruding structure similar to the male
penis
 Hooded by a prepuce and is composed of erectile
tissue
 Becomes swollen with blood during arousal
 Difference of clitoris and a penis is that it lacks a
reproductive duct
- Perineum
 Diamond-shaped region
- Greater vestibular gland
 Mucus- producing gland
 Lubricates the distal end of vagina during
intercourse
Female Reproductive Functions and Cycles
- Females produces egg during puberty and ends in 50’s or
before = Menopause, reproductive capability gradually
declines
Oogenesis and the Ovarian Cycle
- Oogenesis, ova or female gametes are produced
- Oogonia, developing female fetus, they multiply rapidly to
increase their number
- Primary Oocyte, daughter cells, surrounded by a single
layer of cells to form primary follicles
- By birth, oogonia can no longer exist
- Undergoes meiosis
- Anterior pituitary gland release FSH which stimulates a
small number of primary follicles
- Ovarian Cycle, cyclic changes that occur monthly in the
ovary
- Reproductive life of a female is 40 years
- Only one ovulation per month
- Secondary Oocyte, larger cell
- Polar body, very tiny cell
- Follicle development = 14 days = release of LH
- Corona radiata, follicle cell capsule
- Mittelschmerz, twinge of abdominal pain during ovulation,
intense stretching of the ovarian wall
- One of the developing follicle outstrips the others each
month to be the dominant follicle
- LH causes rupture follicle to change into the corpus luteum
- Meiosis in females = 1 functional ovum and 3 polar
bodies which have no cytoplasm
- Egg is bigger than the sperm
Uterine/Menstrual Cycle
- Receptive to implantation only for a very short period of
time
- Uterine or menstrual cycle, cyclic changes the
endometrium goes thru every month as it responds to
changes in the levels of ovarian hormone
- 28 days long, a period commonly called lunar month
- Day 1 to 5: Menstrual Phase
 Thick endometrial lining is sloughing off from
the uterine wall
 Bleeding for 3 to 5 days
 50 to 150 ml of blood is loss
 Ovarian follicles are beginning to produce more
estrogen
- Day 6 to 14: Proliferative Phase
 Regenerates the functional layer
 Endometrial blood supply increases
 Endometrium becomes velvety, thick, and well-
vascularized
- Day 15 to 28: Secretory Phase
 Rising levels of progesterone production by the
corpus luteum
 Increase in blood supply
 Progesterone causes the lining to grow and begin
secreting nutrients into the cavity
 If fertilization occurs, embryo produces a
hormone similar to LH which causes the corpus
luteum to produce its hormones
 If fertilization does not occur, corpus luteum
beings to degenerate toward the end of ths period
as LH blood levels decline.
 Lack of ovarian hormones = spasms and kinks
- Estrogen
 appearance of SSC
 Also has metabolic effects
 it helps maintain low total blood cholesterol
levels
 facilitates calcium uptake
- Progesterone
 produced by corpus luteum
 stops producing hormones by 10 to 14 days after
ovulation
 It does not contribute to the appearance of SSC
 During pregnancy, inhibiting contraction of the
myometrium and helps prepare breast milk
Mammary Glands
- Produce milk to nourish a newborn baby
- Estrogen causes the female mammary glands to icrease in
size at puberty
- Modified sweat glands
- Rounded skin covered breast
- Areola, slightly pigmented area around the nipple
- Nipple, central protruding
- 15 to 25 lobes which radiates around the nipple
- Lobules, small chambers inside the lobes
- Alveolar glands, produce milk when a woman is lactating
- Lactiferous ducts
- Lactiferous sinus, dilated region where milk accumulates
during nursing.
- Breast Cancer, 2nd most common cause of death among
women
- 1 out of 8
- Mammography, x ray examination that detects breast
cancer
The Reproductive System