Male Reproductive System Flashcards
What does the male reproductive system include?
- testes
- series of ducts (epididymis, ductus deferens/vas deferens, and ejaculatory duct)
- accessory glands (seminal vesicles, prostate, bulbourethral glands)
- associated structures (penis and scrotum)
What do testes do?
produce sperms and secrete testosterone (male sex hormone)
What do the series of ducts (epididymis, ductus deferens/vas deferens, and ejaculatory duct) do?
produce fluid part of semen that nourishes, supports, and protects sperms
What does the penis do?
transfers sperms into female reproductive tract
What is the scrotum?
What does it do?
pouch of skin suspended inferior to perineum that supports and protects testes
What are the testes?
2 flattened egg-shaped organs contained in scrotum
Testes
How many surfaces, borders, and poles are there?
What are they?
- 2 surfaces (lateral and medial)
- 2 borders (anterior and posterior)
- 2 poles (superior and inferior)
Testes
What does the posterior border carry?
hilum, through which testicular blood vessels, lymphatics, and nerves enter or leave testis
Testes
What is the tunica albuginea?
fibrous capsule that covers testis and invaginates into its posterior border to form mediastinum of testis
Testes
What is the tunica albuginea divided into?
divided into 250 lobules by septa arising from tunica albuginea
Testes
What does each lobule of the albuginea divided do?
contains 1-3 tortuous seminiferous tubules that produces sperms and eventually deliver them to epididymis
Testes
Where do they develop?
in abdominal cavity behind peritoneum near kidneys
Testes
Where do the testes pass?
descend via inguinal canal, and enter scrotum before birth
as they pass through inguinal canal, they carry parts of anterior abdominal wall layers with them, thus are surrounded by several layers within scrotum
Testes
What forms the spermatic cord?
anterior abdominal wall layers that surround the testes + ductus deferens (vas deferens), testicular vessels, nerves, and lymphatics
Testes
Where is the spermatic cord?
attaches to superior pole of testis
Epididymis
What is the epididymis?
convoluted muscular tube composed of head, body, and tail
Epididymis
Where is the head?
attached to superior pole of testis
Epididymis
What does the head receive?
indirectly receives sperm from seminiferous tubules
Epididymis
Where is the body?
attached to posterior border of testis
Epididymis
Where is the tail?
attached to inferior pole of testis
continuous with ductus deferens (vas deferens)
Epididymis
What does it do?
- stores sperm (up to several months)
- space for sperm maturation (sperms become fully motile and able to fertilize ovum)
Ductus Deferens (Vas Deferens)
What is ductus deferens?
Where does it start, pass, and end?
muscular tube that starts from tail of epididymis, ascends through spermatic cord, and ends at posterior surface (base) of urinary bladder
Ductus Deferens (Vas Deferens)
How does it enter the pelvic cavity?
ascends through spermatic cord and inguinal canal to enter pelvic cavity
Ductus Deferens (Vas Deferens)
Where does it pass inside the pelvic cavity?
passes over ureter towards base or posterior surface of urinary bladder
Ductus Deferens (Vas Deferens)
What is the ampulla of vas deferens?
formed when the ductus deferens (that lies medial to seminal vesicle inside pelvic cavity) dilates
Ductus Deferens (Vas Deferens)
What is the ejaculatory duct?
formed by vas deferens narrowing and joining to the duct of the seminal vesicle
Seminal Vesicles
What are seminal vesicles?
Where are they?
2 coiled tubular glands
on either side of midline, lateral to ampulla of ductus deferens (vas deferens), and are sandwiched between anterior wall of rectum and base of urinary bladder
Seminal Vesicles
What do they do?
produce 60% of the volume of semen
Seminal Vesicles
What does the duct of each seminal vesicle join to?
What does this form?
joins to ductus deferens (vas deferens) to form ejaculatory duct that pierces posterior surface of prostate and opens into prostatic urethra
Prostate
What is the prostate?
conical gland located behind pubic symphysis, and in front of rectal ampulla
Prostate
What is the base of the prostate gland related to?
neck of urinary bladder
Prostate
Where is the apex of the prostate gland?
lies on external urethral sphincter
Prostate
What does it do?
surrounds prostatic urethra, and releases its secretions into it via several short ducts
Bulbourethral Glands
What are these glands?
2 small pea-sized glands on either side of membranous urethra
Bulbourethral Glands
What do they do?
secretions of these glands (during sexual arousal) empty into spongy urethra to lubricate its lumen
Penis
What is the penis?
cylindrical organ that consists of attached root and free body
Penis
What is the root?
fixed part formed by 3 masses of erectile tissue, bulb in middle, and one crus on each side (2 crura total)
Penis
What is each crus of the root attached to?
What is it covered by?
each crus attaches to ischiopubic ramus
covered by ischiocavernosus muscles
Penis
Where is the bulb?
What does it do?
anchors to membrane covering inferior surface of external urethral sphincter
carries spongy urethra
Penis
What is the bulb covered by?
bulbospongiosus muscles
Penis
What forms the body of the penis?
- crura of the root continue anteriorly as corpora cavernosa to form body of penis
- body continues anteriorly as corpus spongiosum to form body of penis
Penis
What are the corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum?
columns of erectile tissue completely invested by tunica albuginea (thick layer of dense connective tissue)
Penis
How many corpora cavernosa are they? Where are they?
2 corpora cavernosa
positioned on dorsal aspect
Penis
Where is the corpus spongiosum?
on ventral aspect of penis
Penis
What is the glans of penis?
enlarged anterior end of corpus spongiosum that reflects on anterior ends of corpora cavernosa
Penis
What passes through corpus spongiosum?
spongy urethra passes through, and opens to exterior at glans
Penis
What is prepuce?
loosely fitting fold of skin that covers glans
