The reproductive process in the male is also controlled by the hypothalmus. It does this by controlling the production of reproductive hormones secreted by the pituitary gland.*(see picture below)
The pituitary gland is the pea-sized gland located just below the hypothalmus. It secretes a number of hormones, two of which, FSH and LH, control the male reproductive functions.
The testes (testicles) are the two male sex glands in which sperm and testosterone, the primary male hormone, are produced. The testes are located outside the abdomina-pelvic cavity in a pouch called the scrotum. They are located externally instead of internally because of the lower-than-normal body temperature required to produce sperm. Under the stimulus of FSH, sperm are produced, and under the stimulus of LH, the Leydig cells secrete androgens (male sex hormones).*
The scrotum is the external pouch suspended behind the base of the penis, containing the testes.*
The epididymis is the long coiled tube inside the testicles that carries sperm from the testes to the vas deferens. Sperm are collected and stored here as they leave the testicles. They also continue to mature here.*
The vas deferens, commonly called the sperm duct, is a long fibromuscular tube that transports sperm from the epididymis to the urethra.*
The prostate gland is one of the male accessory sex glands which surrounds the lower part of the bladder and the upper urethra. Its secretion is part of the seminal fluid.*
The seminal vesicles, a pair of sac-like structures located behind the prostate, are associated with the vas deferens and secrete a thick, yellowish, alkaline fluid which forms the bulk of the semen.*
The urethra is a narrow canal which, in women, extends from the bladder to the vulva; in men, the urethra passes through the penis and opens at its extremity, the glands of the penis. In men and women the urethra conveys urine from the bladder to the exterior of the body; in men, it also conveys the semen (but not at the same time).*
The penis is the male genital organ, the organ used during sexual intercourse. It ejaculates the seminal fluid containing the sperm. It is located in front of the scrotum.*
Ejaculation is the discharge of semen from the penis. Impulses from the spinal cord centers cause contractions of the epididymis and vas deferens, which expel sperm into the urethra. Two to four cubic centimeters of semen, containing approximately 300 million sperm, are expelled at each ejaculation.*
The sperm is the male reproductive cell - the "seed of new life." It is the smallest cell in the male body and is continuously produced by the testicles from puberty onward. A sperm cell contains twenty-three chromosomes, including the X or Y chromosome that determines gender.*
The pituitary gland is the pea-sized gland located just below the hypothalmus. It secretes a number of hormones, two of which, FSH and LH, control the male reproductive functions.
The testes (testicles) are the two male sex glands in which sperm and testosterone, the primary male hormone, are produced. The testes are located outside the abdomina-pelvic cavity in a pouch called the scrotum. They are located externally instead of internally because of the lower-than-normal body temperature required to produce sperm. Under the stimulus of FSH, sperm are produced, and under the stimulus of LH, the Leydig cells secrete androgens (male sex hormones).*
The scrotum is the external pouch suspended behind the base of the penis, containing the testes.*
The epididymis is the long coiled tube inside the testicles that carries sperm from the testes to the vas deferens. Sperm are collected and stored here as they leave the testicles. They also continue to mature here.*
The vas deferens, commonly called the sperm duct, is a long fibromuscular tube that transports sperm from the epididymis to the urethra.*
The prostate gland is one of the male accessory sex glands which surrounds the lower part of the bladder and the upper urethra. Its secretion is part of the seminal fluid.*
The seminal vesicles, a pair of sac-like structures located behind the prostate, are associated with the vas deferens and secrete a thick, yellowish, alkaline fluid which forms the bulk of the semen.*
The urethra is a narrow canal which, in women, extends from the bladder to the vulva; in men, the urethra passes through the penis and opens at its extremity, the glands of the penis. In men and women the urethra conveys urine from the bladder to the exterior of the body; in men, it also conveys the semen (but not at the same time).*
The penis is the male genital organ, the organ used during sexual intercourse. It ejaculates the seminal fluid containing the sperm. It is located in front of the scrotum.*
Ejaculation is the discharge of semen from the penis. Impulses from the spinal cord centers cause contractions of the epididymis and vas deferens, which expel sperm into the urethra. Two to four cubic centimeters of semen, containing approximately 300 million sperm, are expelled at each ejaculation.*
The sperm is the male reproductive cell - the "seed of new life." It is the smallest cell in the male body and is continuously produced by the testicles from puberty onward. A sperm cell contains twenty-three chromosomes, including the X or Y chromosome that determines gender.*
