Human Reproduction: Male and Female Reproductive Systems

The human reproduction system is the organ system that facilitates reproduction in human beings. It is also the system through which human beings give birth to live offspring’s. Learn about the male and female reproductive systems, their structures, functions, and methods of practicing safe sex, preventing pregnancy, and STDs.

Human Reproduction
Name
Institutional Affiliation

 The human reproduction system is the organ
system that facilitates reproduction in human
beings. It is also the system through which human
beings give birth to live offspring’s.
 The testes part of the male reproductive system
and ovaries part of the female reproductive system
produce the cells used in sexual reproduction.
 These cells are also known as gametes. Besides,
they are also responsible for producing hormones
required for the effective functioning of the
systems as well as those responsible for derivative
sexual characteristics
Introduction

 The male reproductive system is made up of
internal and external and external structures.
 The external structures include the penis, scrotum
and testicles and the Epididymis.
 The internal structures of the male reproductive
system include seminal vesicles, prostate gland,
Cowper’s glands, urethra, ejaculatory ducts and Vas
deferens.
 The functioning of the male reproductive system is
dependent on testosterone hormone, luteinizing
hormone and Follicle stimulating hormone (Picut &
Remick, 2016).
Structure of the male Reproductive
system

 External male reproductive structure
 Penis
 It is the organ used during sexual intercourse. The tip of the penis is used to
expel urine and semen.
 Scrotum
 The scrotum hangs beneath the penis. It is the part that contains the testes. It
also contains blood vessels and nerves. It is also the temperature control system for
the development of sperms. Its muscular walls facilitate the contraction and
relaxation of the scrotum. These muscles bring it closer to the body for warmth and
far from the body for cooling.
 Testicles
 Testicles are found in the Scrotum. In most cases, they are two in number. They
play two main roles i.e. producing sperms and testosterone which is the primary sex
hormone for males. The somniferous tubes found within the testis produce sperm
cells.
 Epididymis
 It is a coiled tube at the back of the testicles .It is responsible for storage and
transportation of sperm from the testes (Johnson, ng, Curley, Graham, Welsh &
Staub, 2015).
Functioning of the male reproductive system

Internal male reproductive system
structure
 Urethra
 Urethra is the tube responsible for passing urine from the bladder
to the outside. It also plays an additional role of ejaculating mature
sperm during orgasm.
 Ejaculatory ducts.
 They are responsible for passing sperm to the urethra during
ejaculation.
 Seminal vesicles
 They provide sperm with source of energy and aid in sperm
mobility through their sugar-rich fluid.
 Prostate gland
 It is located below the Urinary bladder. It is responsible for producing
additional fluid during ejaculation
 Vas deferens
 It is a muscular tube that transports sperm to the urethra during the
process of ejaculation (Foster, 2017).

Visual presentation of Male
reproductive system

 The female reproductive system is made up
of breasts, mammary glands, vulva, vagina,
uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
 These organs produce sex hormones and
are responsible for producing and
transporting of female gametes.
 In addition they make fertilization of the ova
possible and allow the development of an
offspring (Hong, Luense, McGinnis,Nothnick,
& Christenson,2008).
Functioning of the female reproductive
system

 Internal female reproductive organs
 Ovaries
 Ovaries are located on both the left and right sides of the pelvic body cavity .They
are responsible for producing female sex hormones such as progesterone and
estrogen. They also produce the female gamete or the ova.
 Fallopian Tubes
 They are narrow tubes on the upper uterus side that facilitate the movement of the
ova from the ovaries to the uterus. The fertilization process also takes place in the
fallopian tubes
 Uterus/womb
 The uterus is the home for the fetus. It is divided into the corpus which is the
main body and holds a developing baby and the cervix .The cervix allows the exit of
menstrual blood and entrance of sperm during intercourse.
 Vagina
 Vargina is commonly refered as the birth canal. It connects the cervix to the
outer body and holds the penis during sexual intercourse. It also facilitates exit of
menstrual blood from the body and allows delivery of a fetus. Finally it is the
channel for sperm to the fallopian tubes and the uterus (Olivetti, Grazioli & Pollastri,
2015).
Structure of the female reproductive
system

 Clitoris
 It is a sensitive protrusion located on the vulva. Its role is to provide pleasure
during sexual intercourse. Touching of the clitoris can cause arousal or lead to an
orgasm in both girls and women.
 Labia Majora
 It is the part covered with hair after puberty. It plays a protective role to the other
external parts by enclosing them. It also contains oil and sweat secreting glands.
 Labia Minora
 Labia Minora is found inside the labia majora. The opening to the vagina
surrounds the labia Minora. It contains sebaceous glands for protection and
lubrication of the underlying tissues. Additionally, it also contains a collection of
nerve endings, sweat glands and erectile tissues.
 Breasts and Mammary glands
 Females have two breasts that contain mammary glands containing adipose
tissue and milk ducts. They produce milk to feed infants (Rendi, Muehlenbachs,
Garcia, & Boyd, 2012).

External structures of the female
reproductive system

Female Reproductive system

 Methods of practicing safe sex
 Using Condoms
 The use of condoms is one of the most widespread
methods of safe sex. If used correctly Condoms are
also effective in the prevention of unwanted
pregnancies and most of the sexually transmitted
infections excluding herpes and Hepatitis B (De
Walque et al.,2012).
 Abstinence
 This is the best method for safe sex prevention of
unwanted pregnancies and Sexually transmitted
diseases. Abstinence means not having sex at all.
methods of practicing “safe sex”

 Withdrawal method
 Withdrawal method refers to the practice of
removing the penis from the vagina during intercourse
just before ejaculation. This process prevents sperm
from entering the vagina. With proper timing, the
withdrawal method can be an effective method for
preventing pregnancy. If it is not properly timed
however sperm may find its way into the vagina
(Connell, Crawford, Dowsett & Kippax, 2013).
 Cervical cap
 This can be used to avoid pregnancy. The cervical
cap is inserted into the vagina and acts as a barrier for
sperm. It blocks sperm from entering the uterus.
Method of Preventing pregnancy

 Using Condoms
 The use of condoms is one of the most
widespread methods of safe sex. If used correctly
Condoms are also effective in the prevention of
unwanted pregnancies and most of the sexually
transmitted infections excluding herpes and
Hepatitis B (De Walque et al.,2012).
 Abstinence
 This is the best method for safe sex prevention of
unwanted pregnancies and Sexually transmitted
diseases. Abstinence means not having sex at all.
Methods of Preventing
STDs

 In conclusion the male and female reproductive
systems are made of different organs that play
different roles. These are divided into external and
internal reproductive organs. The external
reproductive organs in men include the testicles,
scrotum and the penis. Labia Minora, Labia Majora,
clitoris are the external reproductive systems of
the female body. Safe sex, unwanted pregnancies
and spread of sexually transmitted diseases can be
curved through the use of Condoms and
abstinence. Timely withdrawal of the penis during
intercourse can also prevent unwanted pregnancy
Conclusion

 References
 Connell, R. W., Crawford, J., Dowsett, G. W., & Kippax, S. (2013). Sustaining safe sex: Gay
communities respond to AIDS. Routledge.
 De Walque, D., Dow, W. H., Nathan, R., Abdul, R., Abilahi, F., Gong, E., ... & Majura, A.
(2012). Incentivising safe sex: a randomised trial of conditional cash transfers for HIV and
sexually transmitted infection prevention in rural Tanzania. BMJ open, 2(1), e000747.
 Foster, R. A. (2017). Male reproductive system. In Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease
(Sixth Edition) (pp. 1194-1222).
 Hong, X., Luense, L. J., McGinnis, L. K., Nothnick, W. B., & Christenson, L. K. (2008). Dicer1
is essential for female fertility and normal development of the female reproductive
system. Endocrinology, 149(12), 6207-6212.
 Johnson, L. A. R. R. Y., Ing, N. H., Curley, K. O., Graham, J., Welsh, T. H., & Staub, C. (2015).
Anatomy and physiology of the male reproductive system and potential targets of
toxicants.
 Olivetti, L., Grazioli, L., & Pollastri, P. (2015). Female Reproductive System. In Atlas of
Imaging Anatomy (pp. 207-219). Springer, Cham.
 Picut, C. A., & Remick, A. K. (2016). Male reproductive system. In Atlas of Histology of the
Juvenile Rat (pp. 227-256).
 Rendi, M. H., Muehlenbachs, A., Garcia, R. L., & Boyd, K. L. (2012). Female reproductive
system. In Comparative Anatomy and Histology (pp. 253-284).
References