The Male Reproductive System

The typical male reproductive system consists of organs inside and outside the body.

The typical external male sexual anatomy includes the:

  • Penis
  • Scrotum (which holds the testes)
  • Perineum

The two main parts of the penis are the head and the shaft. The head is surrounded by the foreskin. The foreskin may be surgically removed - called circumcision.

  • The penis consists of the corpora cavernosa and the corpus spongiosum. Both these are needed to obtain an erection. The latter contains the urethra (the tube through which urine and semen exit the body) and forms the glans penis (the head). Erection is when the penis fills with blood, becomes stiff, grows longer and wider, and faces outwards and upwards from the body. The size of the penis may vary.
  • The testes produce and store sperm, and the perineum is the area between the scrotal sac and the anus and is highly sensitive. A typical male anatomy has two testicles where sperm are made, and hormones are produced.
  • The testicles are protected in a pouch of soft skin called the scrotum. The scrotum hangs outside the body behind the penis and between the legs. The temperature of the testicles must be cool to produce sperm. They shrink in cold environments, while in hot ones they drop down to cool off.
  • The testicles produce testosterone (the 'male' hormone), which causes sperm production and growth. This hormone is also important for sex drive and characteristics like hair growth and the deepening of the voice.

Internally, the typical male sexual anatomy (which are involved in the transport of semen) includes the:

  • Vas deferens,
  • Ejaculatory ducts,
  • Urethra

The internal typical male reproductive organs also include the accessory sex organs. These are three glands which produce fluids that mix with the sperm to make up semen. Semen is the liquid which is ejected from the penis during ejaculation. The vas deferens transports the sperm to the urethra prior ejaculation. The ejaculatory ducts continue the delivery of the semen into the urethra, adding secretions and additives from the prostate.

The three glands are located near the urinary bladder and are called the:

  • Seminal vesicles
  • Prostate glands
  • Bulbourethral glands (cowper's)

The seminal vesicles produce a fluid that composes the sperm. They provide a medium through which it can reach the oocyte (egg cell), as well as providing an energy-source for movement. This then goes into the urethra, which is the tube that takes the sperm outside the penis. The prostate gland is a small structure found under the bladder which produces a fluid that is also released with sperm to neutralise the acidity of the vaginal canal.

Facts on sperm cells:

  • Sperm is continuously made in coiled tubes in each testicle, and take about 80 days to be produced
  • Sperm start to be produced at puberty
  • Testicles can produce around 100 million sperm every day
  • The sperm move through the uterus within 2 to 7 hours
  • Sperm can live for up to 5-7 days in a typical female body in good conditions