Explain Male Reproductive System Testes

Question

Explain Male Reproductive System Testes. Also explain how its work with the help of figure.

Answer 1

The Testes:
 
In the male it all begins in the GONADS – the gland in which GAMETES (sex cells) are produced.  Yes, we all began a little gamete! These are called the TESTES or TESTIS for singular. The gonads are indistinguishable in the fetus until about the 3rd month at which time differentiation begins. Yet it is not until the 7th month that the testes actually descend into the SCROTUM or sac of skin located underneath the pelvic area.  This is a very sensitive area for men and can be easily damaged.  Yet it needs to be outside the body to maintain the perfect temperature for the production of active and virile SPERM.  Men who wear tight underwear, use laptop computers, sit in hot tubs too long or who play contact sports run the risk of injury. Even something as simple as getting MUMPS can render a man infertile as the sperm is then killed. 
 
Mumps can lead to a disease called ORCHITIS which is a very painful swelling of the testicles. It affects 1 in 5 men and can lead to infertility.  When the testes descend into the scrotum a flap of skin keeps them from rising back up into the pelvic area.  If this skin is ruptured in anyway the testes can ascend – the rupturing ofthis skin is called a HERNIA and is correctable by surgery. 
 
As testes develop within embryo, they begin secretion of the male hormone TESTOSTERONE causing the development of the male reproductive system.
 
The VAS DEFERENS carried the sperm from the testis (singular–happens on both sides) to the EJACULATORY DUCT.  Any blockage in the vas deferens will prevent this from happening.  When a man has a VASECTOMY to prevent further pregnancies it is the vas deferens that is cut and tied – but sometimes it can grow back together partially – or the cut is not complete!  SEMEN is the fluid and sperm mix that is propelled into the URETHRA via the ejaculatory duct.  If you recall from Biology 20 the urethra is also what carries urine from the bladder.  Don’t worry there is a valve or SPHINCTER that prevents them both from happening at the same time.

Other parts of the male reproductive system that we will cover later include the COWPERS GLAND which secretes mucus rich fluids into the semen that protect the sperm from the acidic nature of the urethra–the PROSTRATE GLAND which secretes an alkaline buffer into the semen to protect the sperm from the acidicnature of the vagina–and the SEMINAL VESSICLE which secretes fructose into the semen to provide energy for the sperm.