Our Sexual And Reproductive Anatomy

1
Our Sexual And Reproductive Anatomy

• The External Female Anatomy
• The Internal Female Anatomy
• The External Male Anatomy
• The Internal Male Anatomy
• The Brain
• Our Sexual Bodies

2
The External Female Anatomy

• The vulva consists of the mons veneris, the labia
  majora, the labia minora, the clitoris, and the
  vaginal and urethral openings.

3
The Mons Veneris

• The term refers to the soft layer of fatty tissue
  overlaying the area where the pubic bones come
  together.

4
The Labia

• The labia consist of two outer (labia majora, two
  major lips) and elongated folds of skin, which,
  in the sexually unstimulated state cover the
  vaginal and urethral openings.
• The labia minora, which meet at the top too form
  the clitoral hood, are very sensitive to touch.
  They have numerous blood vessels that become
  engorged with blood during sexual stimulation,
  causing them to swell and turn bright red or
  wine-colored.

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• Located at the base of the labia minora are the
  Bartholins glands, which, during prolonged
  stimulation, contribute a few drops of an
  alkaline fluid to the inner surfaces via ducts.

6
The Clitoris

• The clitoris develops from the same embryonic
  tissue as the penis and has at least as many
  nerve endings as the much larger penis, making it
  extremely sensitive to touch. In fact, it is the
  only structure in either men or women with no
  known function other than to focus sexual
  sensations.

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The Vaginal Opening

• The area between the two labia minora is
  sometimes referred to as the vestibular area and
  the vaginal opening as the introitus.
• The vaginal opening, which is very sensitive to
  stimulation, is not a permanently open orifice
  always ready for penetration by the penis.
• It is surrounded by the bulbocavernosus muscle, a
  ring of sphincter muscles similar to the
  sphincter muscles surrounding the anus.

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• Sexually experienced women can learn to
  voluntarily contract or relax these muscles
  during intercourse, and during childbirth the
  vaginal opening expands enough to accommodate
  delivery of a baby.
• In sexually inexperienced women, a thin membrane
  called the hymen may partially cover the opening
  to the vagina.
• The hymen has no known physiological function,
  but the presence of the hymen has been used by
  men throughout history as proof of virginity.

9
The Urethral Opening

• Urine passes from the bladder through a small
  tube called the urethra and out the urethral
  opening, with is located below the clitoris and
  above the vaginal opening.
• A mans urethra serves for the passage of sperm
  as well as urine, but a womans urinary system is
  not related to her reproductive system.
• Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder with
  symptoms of frequent and burning urination. Thus,
  after a bowel movement, a woman should not wipe
  herself in the direction from the anus to the
  vulva.

10
The Breasts

• Breasts develop at puberty as a result of
  increasing levels of the hormone estrogen, which
  is produced by the ovaries. Thus, the breasts
  are really a secondary sex characteristic, just
  as pubic hair is. Interestingly, it is common
  for one breast to be slightly larger than the
  other. Boys also have a slight increase in
  estrogen levels after puberty, and many show a
  slight increase in breast size as a result.

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• Each adult breast consists of 15 to 20 mammary
  glands.
• In the late stage of pregnancy, a hormone called
  prolactin from the pituitary gland causes the
  mammary glands to start producing mild.
• About half of all cases of breast cancer have
  spread beyond the breast before they are
  discovered.
• However, with early detection, there is a 96
  survival rate, and with little instruction, the
  woman herself is the one most likely to make a
  life-saving early detection.

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• The American Cancer Society recommends that women
  should examine their breasts on a monthly basis
  starting at age 20. The best time is immediately
  after menstruation ends, when estrogen levels are
  low and the breasts are not tender or swollen.
• The American Cancer Society suggests a mammogram
  every 1 to 2 years between the ages of 40-49, and
  an annual breast X-ray after the age of 50.

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• Should you have a lump and it is diagnosed as
  cancerous, a number of surgical procedures might
  be performed
• 1)radical mastectomy, in which the entire breast,
  underlying muscle, and lymph nodes are removed
• 2)simple mastectomy, in which only the breast is
  removed and
• 3) lumpectomy, in which only the lump and a small
  bit of surrounding tissue are removed, followed
  by radiation therapy.

14
Internal Female Anatomy

• Vagina- the sheath-like canal in a woman that
  extends from the vulva to the cervix and that
  receives the penis during intercourse.

15
The Vagina

• The inner layer has a soft mucosal surface
  similar to that of the inside of the mouth.
  Before puberty, the walls of the vagina are thin
  and relatively inelastic. The rising levels of
  female hormones at puberty cause the vaginal
  walls to thicken and become more elastic and
  highly vascularized.
• At menopause the ovaries atrophy, and the
  consequent loss of hormones causes the walls of
  the vagina to again become thin and inelastic,
  similar to their condition before puberty.

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• The vagina is a self-cleansing organ. Many
  potentially harmful bacteria from the outside
  environment are destroyed by other bacteria that
  are found naturally within the vagina.

17
The Uterus

• It is within the uterus, or womb, that a
  fertilized egg will attach itself and become an
  embryo and then a fetus.
• The uterus has three layers the innermost
  endometrium, where the fertilized egg implants a
  strong middle layer of muscles called the
  myometrium, which contracts during labor and an
  external cover called the perimetrium.

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• The endometrium thickens and become rich in blood
  vessels after ovulation, but it is sloughed off
  and discharged from the womans body during
  menstruation if fertilization does not occur.

19
The Fallopian Tube

• Extending 4 inches literally from both sides of
  the uterus are the Fallopian tubes, or oviducts,
  as they are sometimes called.
• After an egg is expelled from an ovary into the
  abdominal cavity at ovulation, it is picked up by
  one of the fimbria. If a sperm fertilizes the
  egg, it will usually do so within the tube. The
  fertilized egg then continues its 3- to 4-day
  trip through the tube and normally implants
  itself in the endometrium of the uterus.

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The Ovaries

• The ovaries have two functions to produce eggs,
  or ova, and to produce female hormones. At
  birth, a girl has all the immature eggs that she
  will ever have, about 300,000 to 400,000 in each
  ovary.

21
Cancer of the Cervix

• The American Cancer Society advises women that
  regular checkups should begin when they start
  having sexual.

22
Cancer of the Endometrium and Ovaries

• Cancer of the endometrium is also very common
  with an estimated 40,100 new cases and
  6,800deaths per year in the U.S. Typically, the
  first symptom is abnormal vaginal bleeding, so if
  you should experience this, go to a physician
  immediately.

23
The Penis Outer Appearance

• The penis had both a reproductive and a urinary
  function. It serves to deposit sperm in a
  womans vagina and also to eliminate urine from
  the bladder.
• At birth the foreskin folds over the glans, the
  smooth rounded end of the penis, but many men
  have had their foreskin cut off in a surgical
  procedure known as circumcision.

24
The Penis Internal Structure

• The penis has three parts the body or shaft the
  glans and the root. In cross section, the shaft
  of the penis can be seen to consist of three
  parallel cylinders of spongy tissue, two corpora
  cavernosa on top and a corpus spongiosum on the
  bottom.
• The raised rim at the border of the shaft and
  glans is called the corona (and is the most
  sensitive to touch of any part of the penis.

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• The root of the penis consists of the expanded
  ends of the cavernous bodies, which fan out to
  form crura and attach to the pubic bone, and the
  expanded end of the spongy body.

26
The Scrotum

• The sac located beneath the penis is called the
  scrotum. It holds the testicles outside of the
  body cavity. Sperm are produced in the
  testicles, but they can only be produced in an
  environment several degrees lower than the normal
  body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

27
The Testicles

• Like the ovaries, the testicles have two
  functions to produce sperm and to produce male
  hormones. Millions of new sperm start to be
  produced each day in several hundred seminiferous
  tubules. Each tubule is 1 to 3 feet in length,
  and if they were laid together end to end they
  would measure over one quarter of a mile in
  length.

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• In between the seminiferous tubules are cells
  called interstitial cells of Leydig, which
  produce male hormones. Male hormones are called
  androgens.
• The most important is testosterone. Another
  hormone produced in the testicles is called
  inhibin.
• The virus that is responsible for mums, for
  example, causes the testicles to swell painfully,
  and the pressure against the fibrous sheath can
  crush the seminiferous tubules, resulting in
  sterility if mumps occurs after puberty.

29
The Duct System

• The seminiferous tubules converge to form the
  epidiymis, coiled tubes that can be felt on the
  top and back of each testicle. Sperm mature as
  they travel though the epididymis, which takes up
  to 6 weeks. From here the sperm pass into the
  paired 14-16 inch vas defrens.
• The two ejaculatory ducts open into the urethra,
  which passes through the spongy body of the penis.

30
The Prostate Gland and Seminal Vesicles

• The prostate gland secretes many substances that
  cause the semen to temporarily coagulate after
  ejaculation, thus helping to prevent spillage
  from the vagina. The prostate also secretes a
  powerful antibiotic, possibly to protect the male
  and female reproductive systems from infection.

31
The Cowpers Glands

• The Cowpers, or bulbourethral, glands are two
  pea-sized structures located beneath the
  prostate. They secrete a few drops of alkaline
  fluid that may appear at the tip of the penis
  prior to orgasm.

32
The Brain

• The cortex is the part of the brain that allows
  us to think and reason. It is also the
  anatomical origin of our sexual thoughts and
  fantasies.
• The limbic system structures are where emotions
  and feelings originate.
• These structures apparently are also important
  for sexual behaviors.
• Male animals with this kind of brain damage will
  persistently mount not only females but also
  males and animals of other species.

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• The hypothalamus receives its major input from
  the limbic system structures. Destruction of
  certain areas of the hypothalamus completely
  eliminates sexual behavior in laboratory animals.
  On the other hand, if electrodes are placed in
  certain areas of the hypothalamus or limbic
  system of rats and the animals are allowed to
  press a lever to deliver electrical stimulation,
  they will press continuously for hours until they
  drop from exhaustion.

34
Our Sexual Bodies

• Kissing is an important part of our sexual
  relations for most people in Western culture.
• Hair is a very important part of our sexual
  anatomy.
• Eye contact between two people can be an initial
  and ongoing form of sexual communication.
• A persons voice, feel, taste, smell, and
  personality can all be sensual and contribute to
  his or her sexuality.

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• It has been found that having positive sexual
  experiences is a good way to start feeling
  satisfied with your body. So, find a partner who
  appreciates you for who you are and how you look,
  and vice versa, and learn to feel good about
  yourself.