MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

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 Male Reproductive System
Functions
• Production, maturation and storage of
spermatozoa
• Delivery of spermatozoa in semen into the
female reproductive tract
• The urethra is also the passageway for urine
excretion

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 Scrotum
• The scrotum is a pouch of pigmented skin,
fibrous and connective tissue & smooth
muscle
• It is divided into two compartments each of
which contains one testis, one epididymis and
the testicular end of a spermatic cord
• It lies below the symphysis pubis in front of
the upper part of the thighs and behind the
penis
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 The Scrotum…

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 Scrotum…
• The scrotum is a fibromuscular cutaneous sac
located between the penis and anus
• It is dual chambered forming an expansion of
the perineum
• Embryologicaly the scrotum is derived from the
paired genital swellings
• During development, the genital swellings fuse
in the midline, in the adult this fusion is marked
by the scrotal raphe
• The scrotum is biologically homologous to the
female labia majora
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 Contents of the Scrotum
• The scrotum contains three major paired
structures;
• Testes- site for sperm production
• Epididymis- situated at the head of each testicle
• Spermatic cord- a collection of muscle fibres,
vessels, nerves and ducts that run to & from the
testes
• There are also muscle fibres located within the
scrotum- the dartos muscle which is a sheet of
smooth muscle situated immediately underneath
the skin
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 Testes
• The testes are the male reproductive glands and
are equivalent of the ovaries in the female
• They are about 4.5cm long, 2.5cm wide and 3cm
thick
• They are suspended in the scrotum by the
spermatic cords
• The testes are surrounded by three layers of
tissues:
• Tunica vaginalis- a double membrane forming the
outer covering of the testes and is a down growth
of the abdominal and pelvic peritoneum
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 Testes…
• During early foetal life, the testes develop in
the lumbar region of the abdominal cavity just
below the kidneys
• They the descend into the scrotum, taking
with them coverings of peritoneum, blood and
lymph vessels, nerves and deferent duct (vas
deferens)
• Descend of the testes into the scrotum should
be complete by the 8th month of foetal life
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 Testes & Scrotum

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 Testes…
• Tunica albuginea- is a fibrous covering
beneath the tunica vaginalis
• Ingrowths form septa, dividing the glandular
structure of the testes into lobules
• Tunica vasculosa consists of a network of
delicate connective tissue

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 Structure of the Testis
• In each testis, there are 200-300 lobules, and
within each lobule are 1-4 convoluted loops of
germinal epithelial cells called seminiferous
tubules
• Between the tubules are groups of interstitial
cells (of Leydig) that secrete the hormone
testosterone after puberty
• At the upper pole of the testis, the tubules
combine to form a single tubule
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 Structure of the Testis…
• This tubule about 6m in length, is repeatedly
folded and tightly packed into a small mass
called the epididymis
• The epididymis leaves the scrotum as the
deferent duct (vas deferens) in the spermatic
cord
• Blood and lymph vessels pass to the testes in
the spermatic cord

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 Functions of the Testes
• Production of spermatozoa (sperm) in the
seminiferous tubules of the testes
• They mature as they pass through the long and
convoluted epididymis where they are stored
• NB: Follicle stimulating hormone from the
anterior pituitary stimulates sperm production
• Successful spermatogenesis takes place at a
temperature 3-5°C below the normal body
temperature
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 Functions of the Testes…
• The testes are cooled by their position outside
the abdominal cavity
• They are also cooled by the thin outer
covering of the scrotum which has very little
insulating fat
• Sperm production in males start at puberty
and continue throughout life, into old age
under the influence of testosterone

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 Spermatic Cord
• The spermatic cord suspend the testes in the
scrotum
• Each cord contains a testicular artery, testicular
veins, lymphatics, a deferent duct and testicular
nerves, which come together to form the cord
from their various origins in the abdomen
• The cord, which is covered in a sheath of smooth
muscle and connective and fibrous tissues,
extends through the inguinal canal and is
attached to the testis on the posterior wall
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 The Deferent Duct (Vas Deferens)
• This is about 4cm long
• It passes upwards from the testes through the
inguinal canal
• It ascends medially towards the posterior wall
of the bladder where it is joined by the duct
from the seminal vesicles to form the
ejaculatory duct
• From the ejaculatory duct, sperms pass
through to the prostatic urethra
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 Seminal Vesicles
• Seminal vesicles are two small fibromuscular
pouches, 5cm long
• They are line with columnar epithelium and lie
on the posterior aspect of the bladder
• At its lower end, each seminal vesicle opens
into a short duct
• This ducts joins with the corresponding
deferent duct to form an ejaculatory duct

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 Functions of Seminal Vesicles
• Seminal vesicles contract and release their
contents, seminal fluid during ejaculation
• Seminal fluid which forms 60-70% of the
semen volume, is alkaline to protect the
sperm in the acidic environment of the vagina
• Seminal fluid also contains fructose to fuel the
sperm during their journey through the
female reproductive tract

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 Ejaculatory Ducts
• The ejaculatory ducts are two tubes about 2cm
long, each formed by the union of the duct
from a seminal vesicle and vas deferens
(deferent duct)
• They pass through the prostate gland and join
the prostatic urethra, carrying seminal fluid and
spermatozoa to the urethra
• The walls of the ejaculatory ducts are
composed of the same layers of tissue as the
seminal vesicles
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 Prostate Gland
• Prostate gland lies in the pelvic cavity in front
of the rectum and behind the symphysis pubis
• It completely surrounds the urethra as it
emerges from the bladder
• It has an outer fibrous covering enclosing
glandular tissue wrapped in smooth muscle
• The gland weighs about 8g in youth, but
progressively enlarges (hypertrophies) with age
and is likely to weigh about 40g by the age of
50 years
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 Functions of the Prostate Gland
• The prostate gland secretes a thin, milky fluid
that makes up about 30% of the volume of
semen, and gives it its milky appearance
• It contains a clotting enzyme, which thickens
the semen in the vagina, increasing the
likelihood of semen being retained close to
the cervix

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Sagittal section of pelvis:
Lobes of prostate gland Median lobe:

Prostatic part of
urethra
Ejaculatory duct

Posterior lobe:
Anterior
lobe

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 Urethra
• Male urethra provides a common pathway for the
flow of urine and semen
• It is about 15-20cm long and consists of three
parts
• Prostatic urethra- originates at the urethral orifice
of the bladder and passes through the prostate
gland
• Membranous urethra- is the shortest and
narrowest part
• Extends from the prostate gland to the bulb of the
penis
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 Urethra…
• Spongiose/ Penile /Spongy urethra- lie within
the corpus spongiosum of the penis and
terminates at the external urethral orifice in
the glans penis
• The urethra has two sphincters:
• Internal urethral sphincter- a ring of smooth
muscle at the neck of the bladder above the
prostate gland
• External urethral sphincter- a ring of skeletal
muscle surrounding the membranous part
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 Penis
• The penis is the external organ of the male
reproductive system
• The penis is anatomically divided into three
parts:
• Root- most proximal fixed part of the penis
• It is located in the superficial perineal pouch
of the pelvic floor and is not visible externally
• The root contains three erectile tissues- two
crura and bulb of the penis and two muscles-
ischiocavernosus & bulbospongiosus
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 Penis…
• Body- is the free part of the penis located
between the root and glans
• It is composed of three cylinders of erectile
muscles two corpora cavernosa and corpus
spongiosum
• Glans- most distal part of the penis, conical in
shape formed by the distal expansion of corpus
spongiosum
• The glans contains the opening of the urethra
(external urethral orifice)
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 Penis…
• Just above the glans the skin is folded upon
itself and forms a movable double layer, the
foreskin or prepuce
• The male urethra runs through the corpus
spongiosum

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 Functions of the Penis
Main Function
• Erotic sexual intercourse- during erotic
stimulation, the penis become engorged with
blood
• Following emission (mixing of the components
of semen in the prostatic urethra) ejaculation
occurs, whereby the semen moves out
through the external urethral orifice

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 Functions of the Penis…
• After ejaculation the penis undergoes
remission, returning to a flaccid state
• Micturition- the penis houses the urethra
which carries urine from the urinary bladder
to the external urethral orifice where it is
expelled from the body

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 Ejaculation
• During ejaculation, which occurs at male
orgasm, spermatozoa are expelled from the
epididymis and pass through the deferent
duct, the ejaculatory duct and the urethra
• The semen is propelled by powerful
rhythmical contraction of the smooth muscle
in the walls of the deferent duct
• The muscular contractions are
sympathetically mediated

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 Ejaculation…
• Muscle in the walls of the seminal vesicles and
prostate gland also contracts, adding their
contents to the fluid passing through the genital
ducts
• The force generated by these combined
processes leads to emission of the semen
through the external urethral sphincter
• Sperm comprise only 10% of the final ejaculate,
the remainder being made up mainly of seminal
(50–60%) and prostatic fluids (20–30%),

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 Ejaculation…
• These fluids are added to the sperm during male
orgasm, as well as mucus produced in the
urethra
• Semen is slightly alkaline, to neutralize the
acidity of the vagina
• Between 2 and 5 mL of semen are produced in a
normal ejaculate, and contain between 40 and
100 million spermatozoa per mL
• If not ejaculated, sperm gradually lose their
fertility after several months and are reabsorbed
by the epididymis
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