The Human Reproductive System

What is Human Reproduction?

In both animals and human beings, reproduction begins with a single cell.

• Females make special cells, called ova or eggs, within their bodies.
• The Male produce cells in their bodies called sperms.
• When the sperm cell joins with an ovum inside the female’s body, fertilization takes place.
• The fertilized ovum develops into an embryo and continues to grow in the female’s body.
• The growing human embryo is later called a fetus.
• Pregnancy immediately occurs during this period. When the fetus is fully developed, it leaves its mother’s womb and we say that the baby is born.
• Every person has reproductive organs.
• The reproductive organs in males are the testes.
• The female reproductive organs are the ovaries.
• Fertilization is the union of the sperm and the egg cell that occurs in the Fallopian tube.
• The fertilized egg is developed to becomean embryo.

The Male Reproductive System

• The male reproductive system is designed for production and transport of sperm cells.
• The changes in the body of a male are triggered by the hormone testosterone, which is produced in the male sex glands, the testes (testis/testicles).
• When a baby boy is born, his sex organs are already formed, but he cannot produce sperm.
• He is not able to produce sperm until he reaches the age of puberty, 12 or 13 years old.
• The penis is an elongated muscular organ, full of blood vessels and nerves. It is the external organ in front of the scrotum. It is where semen and urine flow out of the body.
• The foreskin is the fold of the skin that covers the glands of the penis. It has been a common practice to remove the foreskin soon after birth. The process is called circumcision.
• The scrotum is the small sac of skin at the base of the penis. This sac contains the testes (testicles).
• The testes are oval-shaped organs that produce testosterone.
• Testes produce sperm cells. Production of sperm begins at puberty.
• The urethra is a canal through which the urine is carried outside the body and through which the semen (whitish liquid containing sperms) is discharged. It is produced chiefly by the prostate gland.
• Prostate gland produces a fluid called semen that helps sperm to move around.

The Female Reproductive System

• The changes in the body of a female are caused by the hormone estrogen, which is produced in the female sex glands, the ovaries.
• The ovaries are the primary female sex organs.
• Egg cells and female hormones are produced here.
• The two ovaries are located to the right and left of the uterus, to which they are connected by the oviducts or Fallopian tubes.
• At puberty, ovaries contain hundreds of thousands of undeveloped eggs.
• These ovaries take turns in releasing an egg every month.
• The Fallopian tubes are muscular elongations as big as the size of a pencil. They have fingerlike ends. Each tube leads to the uterus.
• The uterus is a hollow stretchable organ with thick muscular walls lined with many blood vessels. It is about the size of a clenched fist. The uterus is the strongest muscle in the female body. It is where the fetus or unborn child develops during pregnancy.
• The cervix is the passageway, about one-eight of an inch wide, connecting the uterus and the vagina. Normally, the cervix is very small, but during childbirth, it opens wide enough to allow for a passage of the fetus.
• The vagina is a muscular tube with little internal spaces. This is the passage wher menstruation flows out. This is also where sperm cells enter. The vagina is also called the birth canal. When a baby is born, it passes from the uterus through the cervix, and out of the body through the vagina.

Tags: female reproductive organ, female reproductive system, human reproduction, human reproductive system, Life Science, male reproductive organ, male reproductive system, Science

Category: Human Reproductive System