Question

Describe in brief the male reproductive system of a human.

Answer 1

The male reproductive system of the human consists of scrotum, testes, spermatic ducts, ejaculatory duct, sex glands, urethra and penis. These organs work together to produce sperm and the other components of semen.

The scrotum is a sac-like structure. It contains the testes. It is located inferior to the penis. It provides an ideal temperature for the testes to carry out spermatogenesis.

The testes are the male gonads present inside the scrotum. These are responsible for the production of sperm and testosterone. The inside of the testes is divided into small compartments known as lobules. Each lobule contains seminiferous tubule lined with epithelial cells. The epithelial cells contain stem cells that develop into sperm cells by the process of spermatogenesis.

The sperm produced in the testes moves into the epididymis. It matures there before passing through the male reproductive organs. The scrotum also contains a pair of spermatic cords that connect the testes to the abdominal cavity. The spermatic cords contain the vas deferens along with nerves, blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.

The vas deferens carries sperm from the epididymis into the abdominal cavity to the ejaculatory duct. The smooth muscles present in the vas deferens allows the movement of sperm towards the ejaculatory duct through peristalsis.

The seminal vesicles are exocrine glands that store and produce the liquid portion of semen. They are located posterior to the urinary bladder and anterior to the rectum. The liquid portion consists of proteins and mucus. It has an alkaline pH to help sperm survive in the acidic environment of the vagina. It also contains sugar in the form of fructose to provide for the survival of the sperm cells. The vas deferens joins with the urethra at ejaculatory duct. During ejaculation, the ejaculatory duct opens and expels sperm and the secretions from the seminal vesicles into the urethra. The urethra passes through the prostate and ends at the external urethral orifice located at the tip of the penis. Urine also passes through the urethra.

The prostate is an exocrine gland. It surrounds the urethra. The prostate produces a large amount of liquid of the semen. This fluid contains enzymes, proteins and other chemicals to support and protect sperm during ejaculation.

The penis is the male external sexual organ located superior to the scrotum. It delivers semen into the vagina during sexual intercourse. It also excretes urine through the urethra.