Human Reproductive System – Exam Review

40 Question-and-Answer flashcards covering key anatomy and physiology concepts of the male and female reproductive systems.

What organs are considered the primary sex organs that produce gametes?

The gonads (testes in males, ovaries in females).

Which gametes are produced by the male gonads?

Sperm cells.

Which gametes are produced by the female gonads?

Ova (oocytes).

Which steroid sex hormones are secreted by the testes?

Androgens, primarily testosterone.

Which two main hormones are secreted by the ovaries?

Estrogen and progesterone.

What pouch houses the testes outside the abdominopelvic cavity?

The scrotum.

Why is the scrotum located outside the body cavity?

To keep the testes about 3 °C cooler than core body temperature, necessary for sperm production.

Name the two muscles that regulate testicular temperature by raising or lowering the testes.

The dartos muscle and the cremaster muscle.

Into what structures are the testes divided that contain seminiferous tubules?

Lobules separated by septa.

Which cells in the seminiferous tubules support and nourish developing sperm?

Sertoli (sustentacular) cells.

Where are sperm stored until ejaculation?

In the epididymis.

Which duct is cut during a vasectomy?

The ductus (vas) deferens.

Trace the normal pathway of sperm from storage to exit.

Epididymis → vas deferens → ejaculatory duct → urethra.

Name the three accessory sex glands in the male reproductive tract.

Seminal glands (vesicles), prostate gland, and bulbourethral glands.

Which male gland commonly enlarges in benign prostatic hyperplasia?

The prostate gland.

What are the two types of erectile tissue found in the penis?

Corpus spongiosum and corpora cavernosa.

List the three regions of the male urethra in order.

Prostatic urethra, membranous urethra, and spongy (penile) urethra.

Which hypothalamic hormone initiates the HPG (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal) axis?

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).

Which two pituitary hormones act directly on the testes to support spermatogenesis?

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).

Why can males produce gametes throughout life?

Because spermatogonia persist and continually divide by mitosis.

Name the internal female reproductive organs.

Ovaries, uterine (fallopian) tubes, uterus, and vagina.

What collective term describes the female external genitalia?

The vulva (pudendum).

What finger-like projections at the end of the uterine tube help sweep the oocyte inside?

Fimbriae.

Where in the female reproductive tract does fertilization most commonly occur?

In the ampulla of the uterine (fallopian) tube.

What is the narrowed inferior region of the uterus that projects into the vagina?

The cervix.

List the three layers of the uterine wall from outermost to innermost.

Perimetrium, myometrium, and endometrium.

Which layer of the endometrium is shed during menstruation?

The stratum functionalis.

Spasm of which arteries causes the shedding of the stratum functionalis?

The spiral arteries of the endometrium.

What fatty prominence lies over the female pubic symphysis?

The mons pubis.

Which female skin folds are homologous to the male scrotum?

The labia majora.

What is the recess enclosed by the labia minora called?

The vestibule.

What is the small skin hood that covers the clitoris called?

The prepuce of the clitoris.

What is the primary function of the mammary glands?

To produce milk to nourish the newborn.

Which pituitary hormone primarily stimulates the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle?

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

Which pituitary hormone surge triggers ovulation and initiates the luteal phase?

Luteinizing hormone (LH).

During which days of a typical 28-day cycle does the menstrual phase occur?

Days 1–5.

Which ovarian hormone stimulates the proliferative (pre-ovulatory) phase of the uterine cycle?

Estrogen.

Which ovarian hormone predominates during the secretory (post-ovulatory) phase?

Progesterone.

At what meiotic stage do primary oocytes arrest until puberty?

Prophase I of meiosis.

How many functional gametes are produced by oogenesis compared with spermatogenesis?

Oogenesis yields one functional ovum, whereas spermatogenesis yields four functional sperm.