Human Male Reproductive System

1.0Human Reproductive System

Human being become reproductively active with some signs, these signs are visible from a certain age called age of puberty.

Puberty: The age at which the gametes and sex hormones are produced and the boy and girl become sexually mature is called puberty.

Generally female pubertal age is 10-12 years and male pubertal age is 13-14 years.

Secondary Sexual Characters

Sexual characteristics are physical or behavioural traits of an organism which are indicative of its biological sex. These can include sex organ (primary sexual character) used for reproduction and secondary sexual characteristics which distinguish the sexes of a species, but which are not directly a part of the reproductive system. The reproductive organs in humans are testes and ovaries which produce the gametes, sperm in male and ova in female.

Secondary Sexual Characters in Male

(i) Widening of shoulders. 

(ii) Deepening of voice. 

(iii) Appearance of beard and moustaches. 

(iv) Growth of sex organs (Testes and penis).

Secondary Sexual Characters in Female

(i) Widening of pelvis and hips

(ii) High pitch voice

(iii) Initiation of menstrual cycle

(iv) Growth of mammary glands (breasts)

(v) Maturation of secondary sex organs like fallopian tubes, uterus

2.0Human Male Reproductive System

The male reproductive system consists of portions which produce the germ cells and sex hormones and other portions that deliver the germ-cells to the site of fertilisation. 

(1) Scrotum: The scrotum is a pouch of skin that encloses the testes. These arise from the lower abdominal wall and act as a thermoregulator, maintaining the testes at a temperature 2°C lower than that of the body which is required for normal development and maturation of sperms.

(2) Testes: They are the primary sex organs. A pair of testes are located outside the abdominal cavity in scrotum. They produce the germ cells or sperms. They also secrete male sex hormone testosterone into the blood that brings about the development of secondary sexual characters in boys at the time of puberty. 

(3) Spermatic ducts: The sperms formed are delivered through the vas deferens which unites with a tube urethra, coming from the urinary bladder. The urethra thus forms a common passage for both the sperms and urine. Hence urethra is also known as urinogenital tract.

(4) Sex glands: Along the path of the vas deferens, glands like the prostate gland and the seminal vesicle add their secretions and mucus so that the sperms are now in a fluid that is collectively called seminal fluid or semen which makes their transport easier and this fluid also provides nutrition. Seminal vesicle secretes fluid which is mild alkaline in nature. It has nutrients like fructose.

(5) Penis: It is the male genital muscular organ carrying the duct (urethra) for the transfer of sperm during copulation into the female body. 

Note: Sperms collect and mature in epididymis.

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