Unit 3: Endocrine System Flashcards
What is the epididymis?
Sperm develop flagella
What are the testes?
- made of coiled up seminiferous tubules
- leydig cells make testosterone when pituitary gland starts making LH at puberty
- Sertoli cells make sperm when pituitary starts making FSH at puberty
What is the vas deferens?
Carrier sperm to receive fluid from prostate, cowpers, seminal vesicle
What is the scrotum?
Keeps sperm below body temperature
What is the urethra?
Carriers semen out of the body
What are the ovaries?
- makes estrogen and progesterone
- matures 1 egg (usually) each month called oogenesis
What are the Fallopian tubes or oviduct?
- carries the egg towards the uterus
- where fertilization takes place
What is the fimbrae?
- finger like openings of the Fallopian tubes that brush the ovary and cause an egg to be released
What is the uterus?
- muscular organ with a lining of blood vessels called the endometrium
- where an embryo implants itself and grows
- can contract to push baby out
What is the cervix?
- opening of the uterus
- almost closed unless in labour, then it opens (dilates) 10cm to allow a baby to pass through it
What is the vagina?
Birth canal
What are the functions of the endocrine system?
- systems uses chemical messages called hormones, which are made by glands
- hormones are delivered to target cells by the blood stream
- these cells have special protein receptors on them which only allow certain hormones to bind to them
What are lipid soluble hormones?
Diffuse into the target cell and then bind to receptors (ex. Estrogen)
What are water-soluble hormones?
Bind to receptors on the target cell membrane and then enter the cell (receptor assisted endocytosis)
Master glands…
The hypothalamus and pituitary glands are considered the master glands because they control all feedback loops involving hormones (the master glands are controlled by the genes of the individual)
Hormones involved in male puberty…
Hypothalamus sends message to the pituitary gland which conducts production of FSH and LH.
This production of FSH stimulates the testes to make sperm while LH stimulates the tested to make testosterone
What does testosterone do to the body?
Increases muscle
Decreases fat
Male characteristics
What must occur in the body in order for a female to become pregnant?
- an egg must be matured and released (ovulation)
- cervix must make thick mucus to allow sperm to swim through it towards the egg
- sperm must make it to the egg within 24 hours after ovulation
- uterus lining must be thick enough to allow implantation
What is the chance of pregnancy each month for an average women?
15%
Hormones involved in female puberty….
Hypothalamus sends a message to the pituitary glands which produces FSH and LH. Production of FSH and LH stimulates ovaries to produced estrogen and progesterone
What does estrogen do to the body?
Regulates body temperature Increases bone density Increases body fat Female characteristics Lowers cholesterol
Production of estrogen…
Continues until menopause when all of the functions of this hormone decease
What is the function of estrogen?
- starts maturing of an egg
- thickens endometrium
- causes LH to be released
What is the function of LH?
- causes egg to be released
- causes empty follicle (corpus luteum) to make progesterone
