Chapter 4: Male Sexual Anatomy and Physiology

Question 1

Penis

Answer 1

A male sexual organ consisting of the internal root and the external shaft and glans.

Question 2

Shaft

Answer 2

The length of the penis between the glans and the body.

Question 3

Glans

Answer 3

The head of the penis; it is richly endowed with nerve endings.

Question 4

Root

Answer 4

The portion of the penis that extends internally into the pelvic cavity.

Question 5

Cavernous bodies

Answer 5

The structures in the shaft of the penis that engorged with blood during sexual arousal.

Question 6

Spongy body

Answer 6

A cylinder that forms a bulb at the base of the penis, extends up into the penile shaft, and forms the penile glans.

Question 7

Foreskin (prepuce)

Answer 7

A covering of skin over the penile glans.

Question 8

Circumcision

Answer 8

Surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis.

Question 9

Corona

Answer 9

The rim of the penile glans.

Question 10

Frenulum

Answer 10

A highly sensitive thin strip of skin that connects the glans to the shaft on the underside of the penis.

Question 11

Scrotum

Answer 11

The pouch of skin of the external male genitals that encloses the testes.

Question 12

Testis

Answer 12

Male gonad inside the scrotum that produces sperm and sex hormones.

Question 13

Spermatic cord

Answer 13

A cord attached to the testis that contains the vas deferens, blood vessels, nerves, and cremasteric muscle fibers.

Question 14

Cryptorchidism

Answer 14

A condition in which the testes fail to descend from the abdominal cavity to the scrotal sac.

Question 15

Seminiferous tubules

Answer 15

Thin, coiled structures in the testes in which sperm are produced.

Question 16

Interstitial cells

Answer 16

Cells located between the seminiferous tubules that are the major source of androgen in males.

Question 17

Epididymis

Answer 17

The structure along the back of each testis in which sperm maturation occurs.

Question 18

Vas deferens

Answer 18

A sperm-carrying tube that begins at the testis and ends at the urethra.

Question 19

Vasectomy

Answer 19

A male sterilization procedure that involves removing a section from each vas deferens.

Question 20

Ejaculatory duct

Answer 20

Two short ducts located within the prostate gland.

Question 21

Urethra

Answer 21

The tube through which urine passes from the bladder to the outside of the body.

Question 22

Seminal vesicles

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Prostate gland

Answer 23

A gland located at the base of the bladder that produces about 30% of the seminal fluid released during ejaculation.

Question 24

Cowper’s glands

Answer 24

Two pea-sized glands located alongside the base of the urethra in the male that secrete an alkaline fluid during sexual arousal.

Question 25

Semen or seminal fluid

Answer 25

A viscous fluid ejaculated through the penis that contains sperm and fluids from the prostate, seminal vesicles, and Cowper’s glands.

Question 26

Erection

Answer 26

The process by which the penis or clitoris engorges with blood and increases in size.

Question 27

Ejaculation

Answer 27

The process by which semen is expelled from the body through the penis.

Question 28

Emission phase (internal)

Answer 28

The first stage of male orgasm, in which the seminal fluid is gathered in the urethral bulb.

Question 29

Expulsion phase (external)

Answer 29

The second stage of male orgasm, during which the semen is expelled from the penis by muscular contractions.

Question 30

Retrograde ejaculation

Answer 30

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).

Question 31

Nocturnal emissions

Answer 31

Involuntary ejaculation during sleep; also known as a wet dream.

Question 32

Genital retraction syndrome (GRS)

Answer 32

Unusual, culture-bound phenomenon in which a male believes his penis is shrinking and retracting into his body.

Question 33

Koro

Answer 33

A widely used term for the genital retraction syndrome (GRS).

Question 34

Circumcision

Answer 34

The surgical removal of the penile foreskin.

Question 35

Phimosis

Answer 35

A condition characterized by an extremely tight penile foreskin.

Question 36

Urology

Answer 36

The medical specialty dealing with reproductive health and genital diseases of the male and urinary tract diseases in both sexes.

Question 37

Smegma

Answer 37

A cheesy substance of glandular secretions and skin cells that sometimes accumulates under the foreskin of the penis or hood of the clitoris.