Male Reproductive System

• The epididymis is a long, coiled tube that rests on the backside of each testicle and carries and stores sperm cells.
• The epididymis also brings the sperm to maturity, as the sperm that emerge from the testes are immature and incapable of fertilization.
• The vas deferens is a long, muscular tube that travels from the epididymis into the pelvic cavity, to just behind the bladder, and transports mature sperm to the urethra.
• The scrotum holds the testicles, as well as many nerves and blood vessels, protecting the testes and providing a sort of climate control system.
• For normal sperm development, the testes must be at a temperature slightly cooler than the body temperature.
• The testes are oval organs about the size of very large olives that lie in the scrotum, secured at either end by a structure called the spermatic cord.
• Most men have two testes.
• The testes are responsible for making testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, and for producing sperm.
• The penis is the soft, tubular organ that hangs front of the body and is the external sexual organ of the male through which the sperm are delivered.
• The urethra is the tube that passes through the penis to the outside of the body which carries urine and sperm.
• The two seminal vesicles at the base of the bladder secrete a thick fluid that nourishes the sperm.
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates sperm production.
• Testosterone regulates the development of the male sex organs in embryo and controls the development of the secondary trait characteristics during puberty.
• The ejaculatory ducts are lined with muscles that contract to force the semen out of the body during ejaculation.