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17. Reproduction in humans

1. Human reproductive organs

The female reproductive organs

The female gametes, called eggs, are made in two ovaries.

Leading away from the ovaries are the oviducts (Fallopian tubes). They do not connect directly to
the ovaries, but have a funnel-shape opening of short distance away.
The two oviducts lead to the uterus (womb) which has very thick walls made of muscle. It is quite
small (only about the size of clenched fist) but it can stretch when a woman is pregnant.
At the base of of the uterus is a narrow opening, guarded by muscles. This is the cervix. It leads to
the vagina which opens to the outside.
The opening from the bladder, called the urethra, runs in front of the vagina, while rectum is just
behind it.

The male reproductive system

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The male gametes, called spermatozoa or sperm, are made in two testes (singular : testis). These are
outside the body, in two sacs of skin called the scrotum.
The sperm are carried away from each testis in a tube called a sperm duct.
The sperm ducts from the testes join up with the urethra just below the bladder.
The urethra continues downwards and opens at the tip of the penis.
The urethra can carry both urine and sperm at different times.
Where the sperm ducts join the urethra, there is a gland called the prostate gland. This makes a fluid
which the sperm swim in.

Egg production

Eggs begin to be formed inside a girl’s ovaries before she is born.

At birth, she will already have a thousands of partly developed eggs inside her ovaries.
Some of these eggs will begin to mature when she reaches puberty.
Usually only develops at a time. When it is mature, an egg cell bursts out of the ovary and into the
funnel at the end of the oviduct. This is called ovulation. In humans, it happens once a month.

Sperm production
In a section through a testis, there are thousands of very narrow,
coiled tubes or tubules.
There are where the spem are made.
Spem develop from cells in the walls of the tubules, which divide
by meiosis.
Sperm are made continually from puberty onwards.
Sperm production is very sensitive to heat. If they get too hot, the
cells in the tubules will not develop into sperm. This is why the
testes are outside the body, where they are cooler than they
would be inside.

2. The menstrual cycle

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3. Fertilisation and development