Download Male and Female Reproductive Systems

Male and Female Reproductive Systems
CMT correlation
C26. Describe the structure and function of the male and female
human reproductive systems, including the process of egg and sperm
production.
A. Sex Cells (gametes)
1. Ovum (Ova)-Egg(s) is the female sex cell.
2. Sperm is the male sex cell.
3. The joining of the female and male sex cells is called fertilization.
4. Reproduction is when living things produce new individuals of the same type.
5. When fertilization occurs, a fertilized egg, or zygote is produced.
6. Every cell in our body comes from that one fertilized egg.
7. Sex cells contain chromosomes that carry all the information that control
what we look like.
B. The Male Reproductive System
1. The major function of the male reproductive system is to produce sperm and
testosterone.
2. The testes (testis-singular) are the organs of the male reproductive system that
produce sperm and testosterone.
a. They have hundreds of tiny-coiled tubes where sperm are formed.
b. The hormone testosterone is produced in the testes; which control
physical characteristics in men.
c. Sperm mature in the epidymides (epididymis-singular) which are
tubules found outside the testes.
d. The scrotum is the external pouch of skin where the testes are
located.
e. The sperm has a head that contains the chromosomes and a tail.
3. Sperm travel through the vasa deferentia (vas deferens-singular) and mix
with fluids from nearby glands, once mixed it is called semen.
a. Seminal vesicle(s)-at the base of the bladder-it provides fluid and
nutrition to the sperm; contains fructose, used by the sperm
as a source of energy.
b. Prostate gland-just under the bladder-it activates the motility
(motion) of the sperm
c. Cowper’s glands (bulbouretheral glands secrete an alkaline fluid
that forms part of the semen. This fluid neutralizes the acidic
environment of the urethra, thereby protecting the sperm
4. Semen travels through the urethra that is located in the penis
a. The penis is the organ from which urine or semen travel out of.
5. There are 5 to 10 million sperm per drop.
C. The Female Reproductive System
1. There are two ovaries located below the waist, one on each side of the body.
2. One major role of the ovaries is to produce ova (eggs).
3. Estrogen is produced in the ovaries and is responsible for the changes in the
female body and for egg development.
4. The oviducts (fallopian tubes) are passageways for the eggs to travel through
and where fertilization occurs.
5. Every month an egg is released from an ovary and travels through the oviduct
to the uterus.
6. If the egg becomes fertilized it remains in the uterus and develops.
a. The uterus is a muscular organ the size of an inverted pear where the fetus
develops.
7. If no fertilization occurs then the egg breaks down.
8. The egg leaves the uterus through the cervix, which is the narrow end of the
uterus
9. The vagina serves as the birth canal.
D. Menstrual Cycle
Day 1-4-Menstrual discharge-endometrium breaks down along with the unfertilized
ovum.
Days 5-13-the ovum begins to mature in the ovary.
Days 14-15-the ovum is released into the oviduct: ovulation.
Days 16-22 –the ovum moves through oviduct
Days 23-28- the ovum enters uterus.
1.There are 400,000 undeveloped eggs in the ovaries, only 500 of them actually
leave the ovaries over the lifetime of a female..
2. Each month an egg develops as the uterus prepares for the arrival of a fertilized
egg.
3. As the egg is released, the lining of the uterus (endometrium) thickens.
4. The egg is released halfway through the cycle, this is called ovulation.
5. If the egg isn’t fertilized in the oviducts, it breaks down along with the uterine
lining-menstruation.
6. The endocrine system controls the menstrual cycle.