MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

• The male reproductive system consists of the organs that produce, transfer, and introduce mature sperm into the female reproductive tract, where fertilization occurs.
• In addition to producing male sex cells, the male reproductive system secretes some of the male sex hormones.
• The male reproductive organs include the penis, scrotum and testes, duct system, and accessory reproductive glands.
• The male germ cells, the sperm cells or spermatozoa, are produced in the paired testes, which are suspended outside of the body in the scrotum.
• The testes, also called the testicles, are two egg-shaped glands within the scrotum.
• Enclosed in a fibrous white capsule, each testicle is divided into numerous compartments, or lobules.
• The lobules contain seminiferous tubules, where spermatogenesis, or sperm formation, takes place.
• Spermatogenesis begins when a male reaches puberty and continues throughout life.
• Stimulated by male sex hormones, sperm continuously form within these tubules.
• From the start of sexual maturation, or puberty, spermatozoa form continuously within the testes in coiled seminiferous tubules.
• The development of spermatozoa requires the aid of special Sertoli cells and male sex hormones, or androgens, mainly testosterone.
• These hormones are manufactured in interstitial cells located between the tubules.
• In both males and females, the gonads are stimulated by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), released from the anterior pituitary gland beneath the brain.
• After their manufacture, sperm cells are stored in a much coiled tube on the surface of each testis, the epididymis.
• Here, they remain until ejaculation propels them into a series of ducts that lead out of the body.
• Surgical treatment for BPH includes prostatectomy, which is the removal of the prostate in advanced cases, and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), which is performed through the urethra.
• Saw palmetto has been found to delay the need for surgery in some cases of BPH.
• Alpha-adrenergic blocking agents, such as tamsulosin (Flomax) and finasteride (Proscar), are used in the treatment of BPH.
• Urinary retention, infection, and other complications may follow if an obstruction is not corrected.
• Other microorganisms can infect the reproductive tract as well, causing urethritis, prostatitis, orchitis, or epididymitis.
• As men age, the prostate gland commonly enlarges, a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
• Another approach is termed “watchful waiting” or deferred therapy, which consists of monitoring without therapy.
• Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among men in the United States, and only lung cancer and colon cancer cause more cancer-related deaths in men who are past middle age.
• Herpes infection is caused by a virus, and anyone who is sexually active and not in a monogamous sexual relationship with an uninfected partner should have regular checkups for STD.
• BPH is diagnosed by digital rectal examination (DRE) or imaging studies.
• Laser beam or heat is used to destroy prostatic tissue in the treatment of BPH.
• Herbal remedy for BPH includes the extract of the berries of the saw palmetto, a low-growing palm tree.
• The TNM system for staging prostate cancer includes the following categories: T1: tumor not palpable by rectal examination; detected by biopsy or abnormal PSA, T2: tumor palpable and confined to the prostate, T3: tumor has spread locally beyond the prostate, M: distant metastases.
• The prostate may also be cut in a transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP) to reduce pressure on the urethra.
• Mumps is a non-sexually transmitted viral disease that can infect the testes and lead to sterility.
• Gonorrhea is treated with antibiotics, but gonococci can rapidly develop resistance to these drugs.
• Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the gonococcus (GC), and infection usually centers in the urethra, causing urethritis with burning, a purulent discharge, and dysuria.
• Treatment methods for prostate cancer include surgery (prostatectomy), radiation, inhibition of male hormones (androgens), and chemotherapy.
• Untreated, the disease can spread through the reproductive system.
• Semen is the thick, whitish fluid that transports spermatozoa.
• The ductus deferens, contained in the spermatic cord along with nerves and blood vessels that supply the testis, ascends through the inguinal canal into the abdominal cavity, where it leaves the cord and travels behind the bladder.
• Semen contains sperm cells and secretions from three types of accessory glands: the paired seminal vesicles, the prostate gland, and the two bulbourethral (Cowper) glands.
• Together, these glands produce a slightly alkaline mixture that nourishes and transports the sperm cells and also protects them by neutralizing the acidity of the female vaginal tract.
• The penis, which transports both urine and semen, is the male organ of sexual intercourse, or coitus.
• Surgery to remove the foreskin is circumcision, which may be performed for medical reasons but is most often performed electively in male infants for reasons of hygiene, cultural preferences, or religion.