Science · Regulation & defense
Male and Female Reproductive Systems
Estimated time includes reading and one quiz. Take the time you need.
Start here: key ideas
- Testes make sperm; ovaries release oocytes.
- Sperm and oocytes travel through different reproductive pathways.
- FSH and LH help control gamete production and ovarian cycles.
- Fertilization usually occurs before implantation in the uterus.
What you’ll be able to do
- Trace sperm and oocyte pathways.
- Explain hormonal cycles, fertilization, and implantation.
- Compare regulation in testes and ovaries.
Follow the two gamete pathways, then place hormones and early development in order.
Optional review
If you’d like to review the basics, visit Endocrine System and Hormonal Control. You can start this lesson without completing those first.
Male structures produce and transport sperm
The testes make sperm in seminiferous tubules and make testosterone. Sperm mature and are stored in the epididymis. During ejaculation they travel through the vas deferens and ejaculatory ducts into the urethra. Seminal vesicles and the prostate add fluid that nourishes and protects sperm. The urethra carries semen out through the penis.
Sertoli cells support developing sperm. Interstitial cells make testosterone when stimulated by LH. FSH works with testosterone to support sperm production. Sperm gain motility while passing through the epididymis, but fluids from accessory glands are added later.
Male reproductive structures
Sperm are made in the testes, mature in the epididymis, and travel through the vas deferens toward the urethra. The figure also names the smaller ducts on that route. Helper glands add fluid to semen; they do not make sperm.
Male reproductive structures — OpenStax College, Anatomy & Physiology (2014 CC BY archive). CC BY 3.0. Original source image reproduced unchanged; explanatory caption added.
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