TEAS 1.7 Reproductive System

What is the primary purpose of the male reproductive system?

To generate male gametes (sperm) and deliver them to the female reproductive system.

What are the components of the male reproductive system?

• Penis

• vas deferens

• urethra

• prostate

• seminal vesicles

• testis (testes)

• scrotum

What are the testes?

The male gonads; the primary reproductive organs that produce sperm.

They house seminiferous tubules where sperm are produced.

Why must the testes be kept cooler than body temperature?

For proper sperm maturation.

If sperm grow at body temperature or warmer, they do not mature properly.

What is the scrotum?

The pouch of skin that contains the testicles and holds them away from the body to maintain the lower temperature necessary for sperm development.

What is the function of the prostate and seminal vesicles?

They produce fluids for lubricating sperm and provide nourishment for sperm survival.

What is the vas deferens?

The duct in which sperm moves from a testicle to the urethra.

What is the urethra?

The duct that delivers urine from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body and conducts sperm outside the body through the penis.

What is the penis?

The male copulatory organ

the final pathway for sperm ejaculation

What is the pathway of sperm through the male reproductive system?

Testes → vas deferens → urethra → penis → outside the body.

What are the primary roles of the female reproductive system?

• Generate female gametes (ova/eggs)

• fertilization (conception)

• implantation (start of pregnancy)

• gestation (pregnancy)

• parturition (birth)

What are the components of the female reproductive system?

• Ovaries

• fallopian tubes (oviducts)

• uterus

• cervix

• vagina

• labia minora

• labia majora

• clitoris

What are the ovaries?

The female gonads; organs in which eggs are produced for reproduction.

They contain follicles that mature and release eggs in response to changing hormone levels.

What is a follicle?

A saclike structure that contains and allows for maturation of the female ovum (egg) within the ovary.

What are the fallopian tubes?

Tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus.

They connect the ovaries to the uterus and are the site where fertilization normally occurs.

What is the uterus?

The womb

the organ that receives the fertilized egg (zygote/blastocyst), is the site of implantation in the endometrium, supports embryo/fetus development during pregnancy, and contracts during birth to push the fetus out.

What is the endometrium?

The inner lining of the uterus that thickens in preparation for implantation and sheds during menstruation if implantation doesn't occur.

What is the cervix?

The structure that connects the uterus to the vagina and serves as the passage for birth.

What is the vagina?

The canal that connects the external genitals to the cervix in the female

the female copulatory organ and birth canal.

What is fertilization (conception)?

The fusion of the egg and sperm, which normally occurs in the fallopian tubes.

What is a zygote?

A fertilized egg with a full set of genetic material resulting from the merging of egg and sperm nuclei.

What is a blastocyst?

A ball of cells that forms when a zygote undergoes several divisions.

What is implantation?

The process by which a blastocyst implants itself in the uterine wall (endometrium), marking the start of pregnancy.

What is the function of the placenta?

It connects the embryonic and maternal blood supplies, nourishes the embryo as it grows into a fetus, and removes wastes.

What is parturition?

Birth

occurs about 40 weeks after fertilization when the uterus contracts and the fetus is pushed out through the vagina.

What are the six steps of fertilization and pregnancy?

1. Ovulation

2. Fertilization/Conception

3. Cell Division

4. Implantation

5. Development

6. Birth (Parturition)

Where does fertilization typically take place?

In the fallopian tubes.

What is a hormone?

A chemical messenger produced by a gland and transported by the bloodstream that regulates specific processes in the body.

How do the reproductive and endocrine systems work together?

Hormones from the endocrine system allow for cell-to-cell communication that controls many processes in the reproductive system.

What is puberty?

A physiological period in which changes in hormone levels cause a general "growth spurt" and development of secondary sex characteristics.

How is puberty initiated?

By the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus, which triggers the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) from the anterior pituitary gland.

What is the hypothalamus?

A location in the brain that integrates the endocrine and nervous systems.

What is follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)?

A hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary that stimulates development of eggs in ovaries and sperm in testes.

What is luteinizing hormone (LH)?

A hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary that is responsible for triggering ovulation in ovaries and the production of testosterone by testes.

What is testosterone?

The hormone that stimulates male secondary sexual characteristics and sperm production.

What is the role of luteinizing hormone in males?

it signals the testes to produce more testosterone.

How do testosterone and FSH work together in males?

they stimulate the production of sperm cells, which are constantly produced and mature (not cyclical).

What is estrogen?

A female sex hormone released by the ovaries.

What is the role of FSH in females?

signals the ovaries to produce more estrogen.

What does estrogen do in the female reproductive system?

causes eggs (ova) to mature in ovarian follicles and causes the uterine endometrium to thicken.

What triggers ovulation?

A surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary causes a developing egg that is most responsive to the LH surge to be released.

What is the corpus luteum?

The empty mature follicle after an egg is released

it produces large amounts of progesterone to prepare the endometrium for implantation of the fertilized egg.

What happens if implantation doesn't occur?

The corpus luteum's progesterone levels drop and the uterine lining sheds during menstruation.

What is the menstrual cycle?

The cycle of maturation and shedding of the endometrium in females.

How does sperm production differ from egg production?

Sperm production is continuous and not cyclical (testosterone production is not cyclical)

egg production follows a cyclical pattern (menstrual cycle).

What are secondary sexual characteristics?

Characteristics managed by reproductive hormones such as

• production of mammary glands

• axial and facial hair

• fat deposition patterns

• muscle growth.

What is the prostate?

The gland in males that controls the release of urine and secretes a portion of semen that enhances motility and fertility of sperm.