Introduction to Reproductive System
The male and female reproductive systems of human beings are unique in their own way. The male reproductive system consists of a pair of testes, ducts, accessory glands and a penis that produces and transmits sperm to the female (1✔). The female reproductive system consists of two ovaries (which produce ova and secrete hormones), fallopian tubes, the uterus (a muscular organ that develops the fetus during its 40-week gestation period), vagina and external genitalia.
The functions of the female reproductive system are to produce egg cells or ova, receive sperm, provide a suitable environment for fusion (fertilization) of the egg and the sperm, child birth and finally, nourishment of the baby with breast milk until the baby is ready to take a mixed diet (2✔).
Interesting Facts on Reproductive System
- A female can give birth to about 15 - 30 babies in a lifetime.
- Both the male and female reproductive systems have the ability to produce the smallest (sperm) and the largest (ovum) cells in the human body. The sperm and the ovum are about 0.03 to 0.05 mm in length and 120mm in diameter, respectively (3✔).
- The sperm count varies from 20 - 150 million and can also release up to 75 to 200 million sperms during an ejaculation (4✔).
- Female ovaries contain about 1-2 million eggs at birth, but only 300,000 ovaries make it to puberty (5✔).
- The lifespan of an ova is 12-24 hours after it is released from the ovary, while a sperm can live up to 3-5 days (6✔).
- The process of sperm production (spermatogenesis) requires an optimal temperature of 2-3ºC lower than the normal human body temperature and this is why scrotum, which contains testicles, is present outside body (7✔).
- Zygote is a single-cell entity, which is formed by a fusion of both the sperm and the egg (8✔).
- Androgens are the hormones which are responsible for the deep voice, body hair, height and muscles in men (9✔).
- Hormones (chemical messengers) released by the brain cause the ovaries to develop (10✔).
- Fertilization is highly possible when the female is at the middle of her menstrual cycle. This is when the hormones promoting pregnancy are at their peak (11✔).
- A female uterus is normally about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide, which can expand up to 20 times during pregnancy. Uterus contains one of the strongest muscles in the female body (12✔).
- Fallopian tubes are about 12 cm long and as wide as a sewing needle (13✔).
- Vagina hosts many guarding bacteria that protect the female reproductive organs from external infections. These bacteria reside in a slightly acidic environment, lowering the pH of vagina.
- At the 8th week of pregnancy, vital organs like brain, heart, skin and stomach are all developed with the embryo measuring only an adult’s thumb. Health of the fetus and its development is affected by the mother’s oral health (14✔).
- When the baby is in the womb, the body of the baby is covered by a thin layer of hair called lanugo that disappears when the baby is born (15✔).
