Chapter 4: Male Sexual Anatomy and Physiology Flashcards
Penis
A male sexual organ consisting of the internal root and the external shaft and glans.
Shaft
The length of the penis between the glans and the body.
Glans
The head of the penis; it is richly endowed with nerve endings.
Root
The portion of the penis that extends internally into the pelvic cavity.
Cavernous bodies
The structures in the shaft of the penis that engorged with blood during sexual arousal.
Spongy body
A cylinder that forms a bulb at the base of the penis, extends up into the penile shaft, and forms the penile glans.
Foreskin (prepuce)
A covering of skin over the penile glans.
Circumcision
Surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis.
Corona
The rim of the penile glans.
Frenulum
A highly sensitive thin strip of skin that connects the glans to the shaft on the underside of the penis.
Scrotum
The pouch of skin of the external male genitals that encloses the testes.
Testis
Male gonad inside the scrotum that produces sperm and sex hormones.
Spermatic cord
A cord attached to the testis that contains the vas deferens, blood vessels, nerves, and cremasteric muscle fibers.
Cryptorchidism
A condition in which the testes fail to descend from the abdominal cavity to the scrotal sac.
Seminiferous tubules
Thin, coiled structures in the testes in which sperm are produced.
Interstitial cells
Cells located between the seminiferous tubules that are the major source of androgen in males.
Epididymis
The structure along the back of each testis in which sperm maturation occurs.
Vas deferens
A sperm-carrying tube that begins at the testis and ends at the urethra.
Vasectomy
A male sterilization procedure that involves removing a section from each vas deferens.
Ejaculatory duct
Two short ducts located within the prostate gland.
Urethra
The tube through which urine passes from the bladder to the outside of the body.
Seminal vesicles
Small glands adjacent to the terminals of the vas deferens that secrete an alkaline fluid (conducive to sperm motility) that constitutes the greatest portion (about 70%) of the volume of seminal fluid released during ejaculation.
Prostate gland
A gland located at the base of the bladder that produces about 30% of the seminal fluid released during ejaculation.
Cowper’s glands
Two pea-sized glands located alongside the base of the urethra in the male that secrete an alkaline fluid during sexual arousal.
Semen or seminal fluid
A viscous fluid ejaculated through the penis that contains sperm and fluids from the prostate, seminal vesicles, and Cowper’s glands.
Erection
The process by which the penis or clitoris engorges with blood and increases in size.
Ejaculation
The process by which semen is expelled from the body through the penis.
Emission phase (internal)
The first stage of male orgasm, in which the seminal fluid is gathered in the urethral bulb.
Expulsion phase (external)
The second stage of male orgasm, during which the semen is expelled from the penis by muscular contractions.
Retrograde ejaculation
The process by which semen is expelled into the bladder instead of out of the penis (due to reversed function of internal and external urethral sphincters).
Nocturnal emissions
Involuntary ejaculation during sleep; also known as a wet dream.
Genital retraction syndrome (GRS)
Unusual, culture-bound phenomenon in which a male believes his penis is shrinking and retracting into his body.
Koro
A widely used term for the genital retraction syndrome (GRS).
Circumcision
The surgical removal of the penile foreskin.
Phimosis
A condition characterized by an extremely tight penile foreskin.
Urology
The medical specialty dealing with reproductive health and genital diseases of the male and urinary tract diseases in both sexes.
Smegma
A cheesy substance of glandular secretions and skin cells that sometimes accumulates under the foreskin of the penis or hood of the clitoris.
