Final – Lecture Flashcards
What structure in females are testicles analogous to?
ovaries
What are the two functions of testicles?
- produce sperm
- produce testosterone (and some other hormones)
What structure in the testicles produce and store immature sperm
seminiferous tubules
Why are testicles on the outside of the body?
sperm has to be outside of the body because it needs to be lower than body temperature
What happens when a male only has one working testicle?
- if they are born with only one testicle, the other will produce twice as much sperm
- if they gets testicular cancer in one testicle, the other will increase its productivity
What are cremaster muscles?
muscles that encase the testicles
What is the function of cremaster muscles?
temperature regulators for sperm
When do cremaster muscles contract to pull testicles up towards the body? (3)
- when it is very cold outside
- when getting ready for ejaculation during sexual arousal – so sperm does not have to travel as far
- when you have high levels of adrenaline (ie. fight or flight response, extreme sports) – want testicles as close to the body as possible to avoid injury
When do cremaster muscles relax to let testicles go away from the body? (1)
- usually occurs when men have a fever
How much ejaculate?
3-5 mL
How many sperm are in each ejaculate?
200-500 million
How many sperm in an ejaculate is considered a low sperm count, and how many is considered infertile?
- low sperm count: less than 40 million
- infertile: 15 million
Why does each ejaculate have so many sperm?
- only a few sperm in each ejaculate are destined to unite with the egg
- vaginal and uterine environment is inhabitable for sperm
What is ejaculate composed of?
- sperm (1-5%)
- fluid from seminal vesicles (70%)
- fluid from prostate (30%)
Describe the path that sperm takes when leaving the body.
- immature sperm produced in seminiferous tubules
- mature in epididymis
- upon ejaculation, travel up vas deferens
- through prostate gland
- exit body through urethra
What is peyronies disease?
scar tissue (sometimes), calcium deposits, or fibrous tissues (most common) builds up in spongy tissue and creates a blockage
What are the two most common symptoms of peyronies disease?
- painful erection
- penis curvature – but note that 10% of men have naturally curving penises
What are the treatments for peyronies disease?
- calcium deposit – same as kidney stone treatment (laser break down)
- fibrous tissue – needs to be removed (not necessarily cancer, like breast lumps in women)
What is priapism?
having a painful, undesired erection that lasts for hours that will not go away no matter what you do
What are the causes of priapism? (4)
- wrong dose of erectile dysfunction medication (most common) – mostly used to treat a circulatory disorder
- antidepressants
- antipsychotics
- antihypertensives – high blood pressure can cause blood to pool in one place
What might happen to spongy tissue due to priapism?
spongy tissue gets stretched out and damaged such that it no longer has elasticity to hold or release blood
- therefore cannot have an erection the next day because tissue is damaged
What happens if priapism is untreated?
can end up with permanent erectile dysfunction
- ED medications will no longer help because the issue is not about circulation – it is due to tissue damage
What structure in males is the clitoral glans analogous to?
penile glans
- they come from the same mass of tissue
Why is the clitoris way more sensitive than the penis?
both have the same number of nerve endings, BUT clitoral glans is way smaller than the penile glans – there are more nerve endings in a much more densely concentrated space, therefore it is more sensitive
Describe the sensitivity of the clitoris and penis in relation to rigorous stimulation.
- for men to get aroused and reach orgasm, need to rigorously stimulate penis
- for women, rigorous stimulation can be painful, tickling, or numbing
What structure in males is analogous to the vagina?
none
What is the purpose of the vagina? (2)
- have a baby (vaginal delivery)
- allow menstrual blood to leave the body
How long is the vagina?
about the same length as an erect penis (8-13 cm)
- this is a good match from a reproductive standpoint
Describe the tissue that lines the vagina.
very similar to tissue that lines the mouth:
- very sensitive
- very thin
- tears easily
Where are the nerve endings located in the vagina?
lots of nerve endings at the opening of the vagina, but not a lot inside on the tissue that lines the vagina
Describe the angled position of the vagina.
- towards the back
- opening faces the ground
Describe the structure of the vagina.
like a balloon – vaginal opening has tight circular muscles that do not open much, but the inside of the vagina can open up rather large
- not like a hollow tube (in diagrams)