The MALE reproductive system

Ready? Say it three times fast:

Penis, penis, penis.

What is up with the nervousness around this word? Go ahead, we dare you, say it right out loud. Did you laugh? Cover your face? Seriously, who cares? The penis is part of the male anatomy. Boys have a lot of anatomical features that are different from girls—but  we bet that you knew that. We’re so not embarrassed about it, we’re going to give you a visual of the male body parts right here. Seriously? Yes. Seriously.  Look out below.

Here are the basic male anatomical terms: Testes, epididymis (epi did who?), vas deferens (or no difference at all), seminal vesicle, prostate, penis and ejaculatory duct.  

Let’s examine the journey of the sperm—the male seed for reproduction. Yes! Say that three times fast. Sperm. Sperm. Sperm. Sperm (and testosterone, by the way) is created in the testes. Once created, the sperm pass into the epididymis to mature and be stored. Then the sperm travel along the vas deferens to the seminal vesicles, which produce a thick fluid that mixes with the sperm upon ejaculation. Of course, ejaculation occurs through the ejaculatory duct and out of the head of the penis. 

DID YOU KNOW? The main components of the penis are referred to as the root, shaft and glans.

And why would the site of sperm production (a life-giving process) be kept outside of the safety and sanctuary of the body in the testicles? Because sperm actually like to be kept cool, 2 degrees lower than the internal body temperature to be exact. (The next time someone says that you are so cool, try not to think about sperm and testes, we dare ya.) 

Now you are wondering about the prostate gland, aren’t you (well, ok maybe not, but we’re going to cover it anyway)? The prostate gland is very important because it provides an enzyme-rich fluid for the semen. It is located at the base of the bladder and is about the size of a walnut (what is it with male organs and nuts?) The urethra runs right through the prostate gland, hooking up with the ejaculatory duct (hooking up? Bad joke) on its way from the bladder to the end of the penis. The muscles of the prostate gland help to move the semen out of the penis during ejaculation. 

And that’s about all you need to know about that… for now.

DID YOU KNOW? Sperm are the male sex cells. They take 74 days to form, another 26 days to mature and pass through the epididymis and vas deferens and they can survive in the female for up to five days.

Post Question:

The “sex talk” has often been referred to as learning about the “birds and the bees.” Why do you think that is so and what would be a better name for the 21st century?

Answer the post question here

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