Similarities / Differences
 Develop very similar structures of sex glands
 Two genital tubes
 Both sexes have reproductive organs called
GENITALS or GENITALIA, designed for the
purpose of intercourse and conception.
 Only the female has organs for pregnancy and
childbirth.
4 Essential Stages of
Female Reproduction
The female body goes through 4 essential stages:
 Puberty- age 8-13; develop breasts, hormones, pubic hair;
menstruation begins
 Reproduction – Puberty till age 45; pregnancy can happen
 Perimenopause – age 40-60 (last 2 years or so); time right before
menopause where body is getting low on hormone production,
irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, dry
vagina and other side effects can occur
 Menopause – average age 45 or when full hysterectomy is
 performed; menstruation ends; pregnancy cannot occur; body
 stops producing estrogen.
Ovulation
 The egg travels through the fallopian tube. The egg
takes approximately 2 weeks to travel from the ovary to
the uterus.
 In a woman (with a fairly regular menstrual cycle),
ovulation occurs in approximately 14-15 days before her
next menstrual period is due. Some women do not have
a regular cycle due to various changes in their lives,
including emotional stress, drug use, diet etc. If you
have an irregular cycle, ovulation will also be irregular
and unpredictable.
 Ovulation is the time that a woman is most likely to get
pregnant. You can get pregnant if you have sex during
or near the time of ovulation.
Fertilization
• During sex, sperm are released into the vagina. They
travel up through the cervix, through the uterus, and
out up to the tubes.
• Around the time of ovulation, there is thin mucus in
the cervix that helps the sperm move.
• If a sperm meets an egg in the tube, fertilization (the
joining of egg and sperm) can occur. The fertilized
egg then moves through the tube into the uterus and
becomes attached there to grow into a fetus.
External Female Anatomy
 Vulva: woman’s external genital area.
 Labia Majora: (large lips) two folds of skin running from
the mons pubis to below the vaginal opening
 Labia Minora: two smaller folds of tissue which lie just
within the labia majora.
 Clitoris: a small, pea-shaped bump at the front of the
labia that contains erectile tissue (counter
part to male penis.)
 Urethra: below the clitoris, the opening to the bladder.
Internal Organs
 Vagina: passageway between the uterus and the
outside of a woman’s body.
 Cervix: Opening from the uterus to the vagina.
 Uterus: Triangular shaped organ just above pubic bone
that is place where the baby grows in a woman’s
abdomen.
 Oviducts (Fallopian Tubes): two tubular structures
leading from the ovaries to the uterus
 Ovaries: organs holding a woman’s eggs.
Other related concerns
 Endometriosis: fragments of the endometrium
in abnormal places. These fragments may be
found on the outside of the uterus, in the
abdominal cavity, and may be attached to the
intestines.
 Dysmenorrhea: painful menstruation
 Hysterectomy: surgical removal of the uterus,
cervix, fallopian tubes and possibly one or both
ovaries.
 Tubal Ligation: an operation for sterilization of women
where they cut or tie off the fallopian tubes so that ova
cannot be fertilized.
 PMS: premenstrual syndrome. Symptoms may include
moodiness, cramping, nausea and body aches a few
days before menstruation is to begin.
 Menstrual Cycle: the process of passing the blood and
tissue lining of the uterus from the body.
 Toxic Shock Syndrome: caused by bacteria that live in
the vagina, which then multiply and cause infection.
Tampons left in the vagina for too long have been known
to cause this condition.
 Menopause: the remaining ova no longer ripen or
develop.
 Estrogen: the hormone responsible for secondary sex
characteristics and for the sex drive in females. The
“egg producing” hormone.
 Progesterone: Sustains pregnancy. Secreted by the
corpus luteum and causes the following changes:
 Uterine lining thickens (endometrial cells grow and
store nutrients to offer an appropriate condition for
implantation of fertilized egg)
 Cervical secretions thicken to keep bacteria and other
sperm out
 Cervix firms, lowers and closes
 Resting body temperature is higher
Timelines
Male Time Line:
Infancy
Erections begin
Female Time Line:
Ages 11-14
Secondary sex
characteristics
appear
Ages 9-12
Secondary sex
characteristics
appear
Ages 13-16
Sperm produced
in adult amounts
(puberty)
Ages 11-14
Menstrual cycle
begins
Late teens
Peak sexual
urges for boys
Late 20-30’s
Peak sexual
urges
Throughout life If good health is
present, there is the sex urge
and ability to father children.
Ages 45-55
menopause
(cycle stops, but sex urge
continues)
Female Reproductive
System
Male Reproductive
System
Sexual Health: Your Guide to
the Male Reproductive System
The purpose of the organs of the male
reproductive system is to perform the following
functions:
 To produce, maintain and transport sperm (the
male reproductive cells) and protective fluid
(semen)
 To discharge sperm during sex
 To Produce and secrete male hormones
responsible for maintaining the male
reproductive system.
Male Reproductive
Structure
 Unlike the female reproductive system, most of
the male reproductive system is located
outside of the body. These external structures
include the penis, scrotum, and testicles.
 The placement of the male reproductive organs
on the outside of the body is necessary for
temperature control of sperm which need to be
kept cooler than normal body temperature.
Penis
 This is the male organ used in sexual intercourse. The
head of the penis is covered with a loose layer of skin
called foreskin. (This skin is sometimes removed in a
procedure called circumcision when a boy is first born.)
The opening of the urethra, the tube that transports
semen and urine, is at the tip of the penis. The penis
also contains a number of sensitive nerve endings.
 The body of the penis is cylindrical in shape and
consists of 3 circular shaped chambers. These
chambers are made up of special, sponge-like tissue.
This tissue contains thousands of large spaces that fill
with blood when the man is sexually aroused. As the
penis fills with blood, it becomes rigid and erect, which
allows for penetration during sexual intercourse. The
skin of the penis is loose and elastic to accommodate
changes in penis size during an erection.
 Semen, which contains sperm (reproductive cells), is
expelled (ejaculated) through the end of the penis
when the man reaches sexual climax (orgasm). When
the penis is erect, the flow of urine is blocked from the
urethra, allowing only semen to be ejaculated at
orgasm.
Scrotum
 This is the loose pouch-like sac of skin that hangs
behind the penis. It contains the testicles (also called
testes), as well as many nerves and blood vessels. The
scrotum acts as a "climate control system" for the
testes. For normal sperm development, the testes must
be at a temperature slightly cooler than body
temperature. Special muscles in the wall of the scrotum
allow it to contract and relax, moving the testicles
closer to the body for warmth or farther away from the
body to cool the temperature.
Testicles (testes)
 These are oval organs about the size of large
olives that lie in the scrotum, secured at either
end by a structure called the spermatic cord.
Most men have two testes. The testes are
responsible for making testosterone, the
primary male sex hormone, and for generating
sperm. Within the testes are coiled masses of
tubes called seminiferous tubules. These tubes
are responsible for producing sperm cells.
The internal organs of
the male reproductive
system, also called
accessory organs,
include the following:
Epididymis
 The epididymis is a long, coiled tube that rests
on the backside of each testicle. It transports
and stores sperm cells that are produced in the
testes. It also is the job of the epididymis to
bring the sperm to maturity, since the sperm
that emerge from the testes are immature and
incapable of fertilization. During sexual arousal,
contractions force the sperm into the vas
deferens.
Vas deferens
 The vas deferens is a long, muscular
tube that travels from the epididymis into
the pelvic cavity, to just behind the
bladder. The vas deferens transports
mature sperm to the urethra, the tube
that carries urine or sperm to outside of
the body, in preparation for ejaculation.
Vasectomy
 During a vasectomy, the vas deferens from each testicle is
clamped, cut, or otherwise sealed. This prevents sperm from
mixing with the semen that is ejaculated from the penis. An egg
cannot be fertilized when there are no sperm in the semen. The
testicles continue to produce sperm, but the sperm are
reabsorbed by the body. (This also happens to sperm that are
not ejaculated after a while, regardless of whether you have
had a vasectomy.) Because the tubes are blocked before the
seminal vesicles and prostate, you still ejaculate about the
same amount of fluid.
 It usually takes several months after a vasectomy for all
remaining sperm to be ejaculated or reabsorbed. You must
use another method of birth control until you have a
semen sample tested and it shows a zero sperm count.
Otherwise, you can still get your partner pregnant.
Urethra
 The urethra is the tube that carries urine
from the bladder to outside of the body.
In males, it has the additional function of
ejaculating semen when the man
reaches orgasm. When the penis is erect
during sex, the flow of urine is blocked
from the urethra, allowing only semen to
be ejaculated at orgasm.
Seminal Vesicles
 The seminal vesicles are sac-like
pouches that attach to the vas deferens
near the base of the bladder. The
seminal vesicles produce a sugar-rich
fluid (fructose) that provides sperm with a
source of energy to help them move. The
fluid of the seminal vesicles makes up
most of the volume of a man's ejaculatory
fluid, or ejaculate.
Prostate Gland
 The prostate gland is a walnut-sized
structure that is located below the urinary
bladder in front of the rectum. The
prostate gland contributes additional fluid
to the ejaculate. Prostate fluids also help
to nourish the sperm. The urethra, which
carries the ejaculate to be expelled
during orgasm, runs through the center of
the prostate gland.
Bulbourethral glands: Also
called Cowper's glands
 These are pea-sized structures located
on the sides of the urethra just below the
prostate gland. These glands produce a
clear, slippery fluid that empties directly
into the urethra. This fluid serves to
lubricate the urethra and to neutralize
any acidity that may be present due to
residual drops of urine in the urethra.