SCIENCE REVIEWER Q3
What is the reproductive system?
-The reproductive systems in both the male and female consist of primary and secondary sex
organs and sex glands.
-The primary function of the reproductive systems is to perpetuate the species through sexual
or germ cell fertilization and reproduction.
Female reproductive system:
● The uterus
-The uterus is a hollow, muscular, pear-shaped organ about the size of a woman’s
clenched fist. The top is tipped forward in a normal ‘anteflexion’ position. It can be
divided into the body or corpus, and the bottom cervix. The rounded top portion,
above the fallopian tubes, is called the fundus.
-The uterus is supported and held in position by a number of ligaments. Trauma,
disease, or multiple pregnancies can weaken these ligaments and result in abnormal
positioning.
-The uterus wall has 3 layers: The outside layer called the perimetrium, the
muscular inside layer called the myometrium, and the mucous membrane lining the
uterus called the endometrium.
- The cervical opening is about the diameter of a pencil.
-The uterus has 3 functions:
1. The endometrium sheds the lining of the uterus
every 21 to 40 days by menstrual cycle.
2. It provides a place for the protection and nourishment
of the fetus during pregnancy.
3. It contracts during labor to expel the baby.
● Fallopian tube
- The fallopian tube is 4-6 inches long. The egg, released from the ovary, is captured
by the fimbria and brought into the fallopian tube. The egg is moved along inside the
tube by muscular contractions and the waving action of cilia. It takes an egg about 3-4
days to travel the length of the tube. If an egg is fertilized, it occurs here.
● Ovaries
-The two ovaries are attached to each side of the uterus by a ligament. They are
oval-shaped, about the size of a large olive, and lie close to the fimbria at the end of
the fallopian tubes.
-Each ovary is filled, already at birth, with egg-containing sacs called follicles. Each
egg is called an ovum.
-Once every 21 days, one follicle in one ovary ripens. This mature follicle is a
graafian (GRAW fee un) follicle. The follicle ruptures in response to hormones from
the pituitary gland, releasing the ovum/egg… a process called ovulation.
-After the follicle ruptures, it becomes a mass of yellow cells called the corpus
luteum. This is a temporary, progesterone-producing structure.
● Vagina
-The vagina extends from the cervix to the outside of the body. It is a 3 ½ inch long
muscular tube that expands in length and width during sexual arousal.
-The vagina is the female organ for copulation (sexual intercourse), receiving the
seminal fluid from the male penis. It is also a passageway for menstruation or the
birth of a fetus.
● Vulva
-The vulva is 5 organs making up the external genitalia of the female:
● Mons pubis: triangular-shaped pad of fatty tissue over the pubis bone,
covered with pubic hair
● Labia majora: 2 large folds of adipose tissue on the sides of the vaginal
opening
● Labia minora: 2 smaller folds of adipose tissue on the inside of the labia
majora
● Vestibule: area between labia with openings for the vagina, urethra, and two
excretory ducts for Bartholin’s glands (provide lubricant)
● Clitoris: sensitive fold of tissue partially covered by hood
● The perineum is the area located between the vaginal opening and the anus. It is a
muscular sheet that can be torn during childbirth.
● Some doctors avoid uncontrolled tearing of the perineum by making a surgical
incision called an episiotomy.
● Breast
-The Breasts are the mammary glands, varying in size according to age, heredity,
and the amount of fatty tissue present. Each breast has 15-20 glandular lobes
seperated by connective tissue. After childbirth, the pituitary gland stimulates
these lobes with the hormone prolactin.. and they produce milk.
-The dark-colored circle at the tip of the breast is called the areola. It contains
sebaceous glands to keep the skin conditioned. In the center is the nipple, where
ducts from the lobules open. The first secretion from the breast is not a true milk, but
a thin yellowish substance called colostrum.
-Colostrum contains nutrients and the mother’s immunities that can protect the
baby.
MENSTRUAL CYCLE
-The onset of the menstrual cycle, or menarche, begins at puberty and ceases at
menopause. The cycle has 3 phases:
- The follicular phase is characterized by menstruation, when the thickened lining of
the endometrium is shed because no egg was fertilized or implanted. Just prior to this
phase is a premenstrual period characterized by hormonal and physical changes.
-The ovulatory phase comes next. Estrogen is the hormone produced by the ovaries,
which stimulates the maturation of a follicle and thickens the endometrium.
-The luteal phase follows ovulation, and is characterized by the development of the
corpus luteum, the secretion of progesterone, the preparation of the endometrium for
implantation of a fertilized egg, and the formation of a thick mucous to block the
cervix once the egg passes out of the fallopian tube.
PREGNANCY
-The fertilized egg implants in the uterus. Progesterone production increases to signal
a pregnancy; it can be detected in urine and blood.
-At the moment of conception, a single sperm with 23 chromosomes (carrying
genetic information from the father) penetrates/fertilizes a single egg with 23
chromosomes (carrying genetic information from the mother). The resulting cell, a
zygote, now has 46 chromosomes. The cell begins dividing and is also called a
blastocyst. From week 2-8, it is called an embryo.
-The embryo is suspended in an amniotic sac surrounded by fluid during the 280 day
gestation period. The umbilical cord attached at the navel connects it to the placenta,
where it gets nutrients and oxygen. During the 1st trimester, all parts of the embryo
are formed.
-During the second trimester all parts start to function; during the last trimester the
embryo is now called a fetus and the main task is growth.
-The umbilical cord is cut and clamped, and placenta (afterbirth) is delivered
following the birth of the baby.
-Labor, characterized by muscle contractions, dilation (to 10 cm) and effacement
(thinning) of the cervix, and expulsion of the mucous plug that formed in the cervix,
signals the onset of parturition… the childbirth process. The cephalic, or head-first
delivery, is the most common. Breech is a backward presentation; Caesarian is
delivery through an incision in the abdomen.
-The newborn may be covered with traces of vernix caseosa (cheesy coating) or
lanugo (downy hair) that protected the skin before birth. The health of the baby is
immediately evaluated on the APGAR scale. Color, heartbeat, reflexes, muscle tone,
and breathing are scored on a scale of 0-10.
● Pregnancy can be complicated by certain conditions:
1. Placenta previa is the development of the placenta over the opening of the
cervix
2. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy- induced hypertension (high blood pressure)
3. Spontaneous abortion or miscarriage is the loss of a fetus during the first 20
weeks, often due to abnormalities, trauma, or lifestyle choices
Male reproductive system:
● Scrotum
-The scrotum is a pouch of skin suspended from the perineal area and divided into two
sacs… each containing one testicle and epididymis.
-The scrotal tissue contracts in the absence of sufficient heat, pulling the testes up closer to
the body where the temperature maintains the viability of sperm.
● Penis
-The urethra runs the length of the penis from the bladder to the meatus (me Ā tus). The
flaccid penis fills with blood during arousal, causing an erection and allowing for the
function of copulation/intercourse.
-A lubricant, smegma, is produced under the prepuce on the penis. This foreskin may be
circumcised/ removed for hygiene or religious reasons. It covers the glans/head that is filled
with nerve endings.
● Testes and epididymis
-The oval-shaped testes are located in the scrotum, and are each divided into 250 lobules.
Coiled within the lobule are seminiferous tubes where the sperm are formed.
-The mature sperm are stored in the epididymis, a tube 13-20 feet in length, coiled and lying
on the side of each testicle.
● Sperm
-Sperm carry either an X/female OR Y/male chromosome. Since all ova carry the
X/female chromosome, the male sperm does influence the baby’s sex.
-The acrosome covering the head of the sperm contains enzymes that help it
penetrate the ova. The head carries the genetic material. The midpiece supplies
energy. The tail or flagellum provides motility.
● Vas deferens and seminal vesicles
-The vas deferens are muscular tubes transporting sperm from the epididymis to the
seminal vesicles. The seminal vesicles produce a slightly alkaline fluid that mixes
with the sperm and becomes part of the semen ejaculated during the male orgasm. It
protects the sperm from the acidity of the urethra.
● Prostate and Cowper’s glands
-The prostate gland also secretes an alkaline fluid that mixes with the sperm as part
of the semen. Enlargement of the prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia, obstructs the
flow of urine through the urethra.
-The Cowper’s or bulbourethral glands (bull boh yur REE thral) produce another
mucous- alkaline secretion in the urethra, excreted from the glands just before
ejaculation.