Assignment:
PART A
The reproductive system has been described as an "unnecessary" body system because it is not needed for the individual to survive. Upon maturation, however, the reproductive system does produce hormones that maintain adult features as well as bone structure. These hormones also influence behavior, blood composition, and metabolism. Discuss your thoughts as to whether or not the reproductive system is unnecessary.
PART B
For the Critical Thinking Exercise, you will answer the following questions using your critical thinking and reasoning skills:
1. A young man is in an accident that crushes his spinal cord at the neck and leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. The man asks his physician if he will be able to have erections and father any children. What should the doctor tell him? Explain your answer.
2. A breast-feeding woman leaves her baby at home and meets a friend for dinner. Two tables over, a baby is crying, and the woman notices her shirt becomes wet from leaking milk. Explain the physiological link between hearing that sound and the ejection of milk.
3. A woman has a mutation that causes the zona pellucida to be tough and not disintegrate after the egg was fertilized. How would this affect her fertility? Explain.