22.1: Introduction
- Page ID
- 53845
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The reproductive system is designed to propagate the human species (make more humans) and therefore has two primary functions: the production of gametes (egg and sperm cells) and the production of sex hormones. Male gametes are referred to as spermatozoa (aka sperm), whereas female gametes are called ova (aka egg). Reproduction is very metabolically taxing especially for the female. The role of the male reproductive system is to produce spermatozoa and transfer them to the female reproductive tract. Although they originate from similar primordial tissues, the female and male reproductive systems differ in gonad type, ducts, accessory glands, and external genitalia. Male gonads are the testes while the female gonads are the ovaries; both are the sites of their respective gametogenesis (production of the gametes, i.e. spermatozoa production and ova production). The hormones produced by the gonads are crucial to the reproductive system and sexual development, including primary and secondary sexual development, tissue regeneration, and production of gametes.
Above: Overview of the anatomy of the (left) female and (right) male reproductive system. Note that the male diagram also shows the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and adrenal glands, which are not part of the reproductive system.
Reproductive anatomy remains undefined in a developing fetus until at some point of gestation, the fetus will develop both Wolffian and Müllerian ducts, the basic structures of both the male and female reproductive systems. As a result, there are several elements of the male and female reproductive systems which are homologous (structurally related to each other and derived from the same type of fetal tissues). Such structures share developmental and evolutionary origins but are not necessarily similar in function. The following are the homologous structures of the male and female reproductive system:
|
Female homologous structure |
Male homologous structure |
|---|---|
|
ovary |
testis |
|
labia major |
scrotum |
|
labia minora |
shaft of the penis |
|
clitoris |
glans penis |
|
prepuce (aka clitoral hood) |
prepuce (aka foreskin) |
|
paraurethral gland |
prostate gland |
|
greater vestibular gland |
bulbourethral gland |
Humans have variation in their anatomies. While this is true for a variety of anatomical structures, it is also true for the reproductive system. This chapter will explore human anatomy defined as "male reproductive anatomy" and "female reproductive anatomy" as traditionally defined in educational and clinical settings, however, reproductive anatomies vary. For example, some people are born (1 in every 2,000-4,500 births) with a variation of sex characteristics that do not fully fit the traditional definitions of "male" or "female" reproductive anatomies (intersex people). There are also people (1.6%-5% of adults) who identify as a gender different from what they were assigned at birth (transgender people including nonbinary people). Not all individuals' anatomies will fit into the traditional definitions of "male reproductive anatomy" and "female reproductive anatomy" categories.
Attributions
- "Human Anatomy Lab Manual" by Malgosia Wilk-Blaszczak, Mavs Open Press, University of Texas at Arlington is licensed under CC BY 4.0
- "Human Urinary and reproductive system (Labelled).jpg" by Baresh25 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
- "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014" by Blausen.com staff is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Updated 2026.