What are the functions of the penis, testicles and scrotum?
Penis: The penis is the male organ for sexual intercourse. The glans, which also is called the head of the penis, is covered with a loose layer of skin called foreskin. (This skin is sometimes removed in a procedure called circumcision.) The opening of the urethra, the tube that transports semen and urine, is at the tip of the glans penis. The body of the penis is cylindrical in shape and consists of three internal chambers. These chambers are made up of special, sponge-like erectile tissue. This tissue contains thousands of large spaces that fill with blood when the man is sexually aroused. As the penis fills with blood, it becomes rigid and erect, which allows for penetration during sexual intercourse. The skin of the penis is loose and elastic to accommodate changes in penis size during an erection.
Scrotum: The scrotum is the loose pouch-like sac of skin that hangs behind the penis. It contains the testicles (also called testes). The scrotum has a protective function and acts as a climate control system for the testes. Special muscles in the wall of the scrotum allow it to contract and relax, moving the testicles closer to the body for warmth and protection or farther away from the body to cool the temperature.
Testicles: The (testicles) testes are oval organs that lie in the scrotum, secured by a structure called the spermatic cord. Most men have two testes. The testes are responsible for making testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, and for generating sperm.
Epididymis:The epididymis is a long, coiled tube that rests on the backside of each testicle. It functions in the transport and storage of the sperm cells that are produced in the testes. It also is the job of the epididymis to bring the sperm to maturity, since the sperm that emerge from the testes are immature and incapable of fertilization.
What are the internal male reproductive organs?
Vas deferens: The vas deferens is a long, muscular tube that travels from the epididymis into the pelvic cavity through groin to behind the bladder. The vas deferens transports mature sperm to the urethra in preparation for ejaculation.
Urethra: The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside of the body. In males, it has the additional function of expelling (ejaculating) semen when the man reaches orgasm.
Seminal vesicles: The seminal vesicles are sac-like pouches that attach to the vas deferens near the base of the bladder. The seminal vesicles produce a sugar-rich fluid that provides sperm with a source of energy and helps with the sperms’ ability to move. The fluid of the seminal vesicles makes up most of the volume of a man’s ejaculatory fluid.
Prostate gland: The prostate gland is a walnut-sized structure found only in men. It is partly glandular and partly muscular, with three lobes. It is located below the urinary bladder in front of the rectum, surrounding the urethra. The prostate gland contributes a slightly alkaline fluid to the seminal fluid which also nourishes the sperm.