L34: Male Reproductive System Flashcards
what kind of structures is the male reproductive system mainly composed of?
tubular structures
is the testicular artery a branch of the abdominal aorta or the internal iliac artery?
abdominal aorta
NOT internal iliac
what kind of system is the pampiniform venous plexus?
thermoregulatory system
in males and females, what does the inguinal canal contain?
male: spermatic cord
female: round ligament of uterus
what does the superficial inguinal ring form?
the exit of the inguinal canal
what contains the proximal ductus deferens, testicular artery and veins, lymph vessels,
testicular nerve, cremaster muscle and a covering connective tissue
spermatic cord
what is the deep inguinal ring?
entrance to the inguinal canal
what happens to the testes by the 3rd month of development
they descend to the deep ring
what is the superficial inguinal ring
exit from inguinal canal
what happens to the testes in the 7th to 9th month of development?
they complete their descent into the scrotum through the inguinal canal
what is the most common inguinal hernia and who does it effect?
- indirect inguinal hernia (75%)
- young males (newborns - early adulthood)
are males or females more likely to experience direct inguinal hernias? when do they appear?
- more common in males
- appear later in life
risk factors of direct inguinal hernias?
- heavy lifting
- chronic obstructive lung disease
- constant strain on abdominal pressure
function of the scrotum
temperature regulator
what divides the scrotum into two compartments?
scrotal septum
what is the muscle of the wall of the scrotum
- external (skin)
- superficial fascia
- smooth muscle (dartos muscle)
what results from tonic contraction of dartos muscle?
- wrinkles on scrotal surface
- elevation of testes
the testes produce?
sperm and testosterone
role of the spermatic cord?
suspend the testes in the scrotum
what is each testis covered by?
visceral layer of tunica vaginalis testis and tunica albuginea
what is the tunica vaginalis?
- serous membrane derived from the peritoneum of the abdominal cavity
- has outer parietal layer and inner visceral layer separated by serous fluid
what is the thick fibrous capsule that covers the testis
tunica albuginea
what is the tunica albuginea?
- lies deep to visceral layer of tunical vaginalis
- projects internally into testis forming a septa, diving the internal space into lobules
what are the hundreds of highly coiled tubes packed into tunica albuginea?
seminiferous tubules
the seminiferous tubules are the site of?
spermatogenesis
what collects sperm from seminiferous tubules?
straight tubules
what collects sperm from straight tubules?
rete testis
what carries sperm to epididymis?
efferent ducts
structure/ function of epididymis?
- coiled tube (4-5m) along side of testis
- sperm storage and maturation
order of sperm flow?
- seminiferous tubule
- straight tubules
- rete testis
- efferent ductules
- epididymis
- ductus deferens
what is the ductus deferens?
muscular tube
transports sperm from epididymis to ejaculatory duct
what do the walls of the ductus deferens contain?
- inner mucosa
- middle muscularis
- outer adventitia
(muscularis contains smooth muscle)
each of the two ejaculatory ducts is formed by?
the merge of the ductus deferens and the seminal vesicles
what passes through the prostate gland and empties into the urethra?
both ejaculatory ducts
what are the accessory glands that secrete seminal fluid?
- seminal vesicles
- prostate gland
- bulbourethral glands
seminal fluid is _____ and mixes with sperms transported up the ductus deferens to form _____?
alkaline
semen
are the seminal vesicles and bulbourethral glands paired or unpaired?
paired
what does the seminal vesicles secrete and why?
- secrete viscous fluid of fructose (sugar) and prostaglandins
- sugar nourishes sperm
- prostaglandins dilate the cervix
what do bulbourethral glands secrete?
viscous mucin that protects the urethra and serves as a lubricant during sexual intercourse
what is the role of the slightly alkaline semen fluid the prostate secretes?
neutralizes the acidity of the vagina
the prostate secretes a milky appearing fluid that is _____% of the volume of semen?
25-30%
what are erectile tissues?
spongy masses of tissue that contain large amounts of potential vascular space for blood engorgement
what is the corpus cavernosum (clitoris)
- paired masses on the anterior surface of the flaccid penis
- each contains a deep artery of the penis
what is the corpus spongiosum?
- single mass surrounding urethra, posterior side of flaccid penis
- the sheeth surrounding contains more elastic fibres than c. cavernosum
Male sexual function can be summarized as the three E’s ?
- erection
- emission
- ejaculation
function of erection
- parasympathetic stimulation relaxes smooth muscles in arterial walls, vessel dilation and increase of blood flow to penis
what is emission?
movement of secretions of glands into prostatic urethra
what is ejaculation?
expulsion of semen by rhythmic contractions of bulbospongiosus and ischiocavernosus muscles that wrap around corpus spongiosum and corpus cavernosa
how do sperm find the egg?
using heat and olfactory sensors
sperm utilizes bourgeonal odour as chemoattractant for what?
navigating towards the egg
