
The Male Genitals
These are located behind the bladder and between the legs. Its function is to produce and deliver sperm into a woman. It is part of the repoductive system. Testes produce sperm and male sex hormones Sperm and male sex hormones are made in two plum sized glands called the testes. The penis and erections The penis is very sensitive and is partly covered by a loose fold of skin called the foreskin. Most of the penis is composed of spongy erectile tissue. When a man is sexually aroused, this spongy tissue fills with blood, causing the penis to enlarge and become rigid. This is known as an erection. An erection enables the penis to serve its role as the penetrating organ that delivers sperm into a woman's vagina. Sperm and urine both leave the body through a tube called the urethra that runs down the middle of the penis. Semen and ejaculation Semen is a milky white, sticky mixture of sperm and fluid secretions. It provides nutrients to energise sperm and acts as a transport medium to carry sperm through the penis, out of the body and into a woman's vagina. During ejaculation, sperm are propelled from the epididymis along a duct called the vas deferen.This carries sperm upwards, out of the scrotum, towards the penis. En route, fluids from the seminal vesicles and the prostate gland dilute the sperm. These fluids provide the optimal environment for sperm to swim and survive in the acidic conditions of the female reproductive tract. At the last stage of ejaculation, semen passes into the urethra and out of the penis. During ejaculation, a man produces between two and five millilitres of semen that contains between 50 and 130 million sperm per millilitre. The tiny bulbourethral glands secrete a thick, clear mucus that drains into the urethra. This is the first secretion to pass down the urethra when a man becomes sexually excited. It is thought to clean the urethra before ejaculation and act as a lubricant during sex. |

Female Genitals
These are located behind the bladder. Their function is to produce eggs, have sex, carry a developing baby and to give birth. And is part of the repoductive system. Eggs, ovaries and sex hormones The female genitals consist of two glands called ovaries that are responsible for producing eggs and female sex hormones. Once women reach sexual maturity, they experience a hormone regulated monthly fertility cycle known as a menstrual cycle. These hormones control the maturation and release of an egg from one of the ovaries every month, and they affect the lining of the womb making it ready to receive a fertilised egg. Mature eggs are released from the ovary and move along the fallopian tube to the uterus. If an egg is fertilised, it tries to embed itself in the uterus wall, ready to develop into a foetus. If no egg becomes implanted, the uterus lining is shed, and this results in a flow of menstrual blood, know as the 'period'. When a baby girl is born, she already carries all the eggs that she will ever produce through her life. A boy, however, does not carry sperm at birth, and only begins to produce sperm when he reaches sexual maturity
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