• The Reproductive system is referred to as the genital System.

Reproduction Is the biological process

of generating a new individual or offspring similar to its parents.
• All human beings come into a sexual mode of reproduction. In this procedure, both the male and
female gametes fertilize to create an embryo.
• The fertilization of human embryos takes place inside the body of the female. As a result, it is
known as Internal Fertilization.
• Males have testes, it is also known as testicles, while females have
one pair of ovaries.
• The male reproductive organs include a pair of testes (singular,
testis), two sperm ducts and a penis. The testes produce the male
gametes called sperms.
• The female reproductive organs are a pair of ovaries, oviducts
(fallopian tubes) and the uterus. Ovary produces female gametes
called ova (eggs).
• In human beings, a single matured egg is released into the oviduct by
one of the ovaries every month. Uterus is the part
where development of the baby takes place. Like the
sperm, an egg is also a single cell.
• The first step in the process of reproduction is the
fusion of a sperm and an ovum. When sperms come in
contact with an egg, one of the sperms may fuse with
the egg. Such fusion of the egg and the sperm is called
fertilization.
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• The reproductive events in humans include

• formation of gametes (gametogenesis), i.e., sperms in males and ovum in females,
• transfer of sperms into the female genital tract (insemination),
• fusion of male and female gametes (fertilisation) leading to formation of zygote.
• formation and development of blastocyst and its attachment to the uterine wall (implantation),
• embryonic development (gestation) and
• delivery of the baby (parturition).
• In girls, puberty starts at the age of 12 - 14 and in boys it is at the age of 13 - 15.
• There is a secretion of various hormones at the root of the changes from puberty to sexual
maturity.
• Testosterone in human males and Estrogen and progesterone in females are the major sex
hormones

Female Reproductive System

• A pair of ovaries: Ovaries produce and store ovum in them. They
also produce a female hormone called estrogen.
• Fallopian tubes (Oviducts): They are the site of fertilization. They
connect ovaries with the uterus.
• Uterus: Uterus is the site of development for the embryo.
• Vagina: It is the part which connects the cervix to the external
female body parts. It is the route for the penis during coitus as well as a fetus during delivery.
• During puberty, eggs in the ovaries start to mature. One of the ovaries releases the matured
ovum in every 28 to 30 days and is called ovulation.
• The process of fusion of sperm with egg (ovum) to produce zygote is called fertilization. Fertilization
is a crucial stage of reproduction in human beings. The fertilized egg is called the zygote. Zygote
starts to divide into many cells and develops into an embryo.
• Embryo moves into the uterus and gets attached to its walls. This process is referred to as
implantation, and the implanted embryo eventually develops into a fetus.
• After implantation, a disc-like special tissue called placenta is developed between the uterus wall
and embryo. The foetus is connected to the mother’s body through umbilical cord. It is through
placenta that the exchange of important requirements like nutrition, respiration and excretion,
between foetus and mother takes place.
• Gestation is the time period from the fertilisation of egg to birth of the baby. The gestation period
in humans is nine months. Birth of the baby begins when the muscles in the walls of uterus start to
contract rhythmically.
• The menstruation stops permanently when a woman reaches the age of 45 to 50 years. With this a
woman loses the ability to bear child. This process of permanent stoppage of menstruation cycle is
called menopause.

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Mammary glands or Breasts

• In females these begin to develop under the influence of oestrogen and
progesterone during puberty.
• The mammary glands consists of the glandular tissue, the fibrous tissue
(connective tissue) and the fatty or adipose tissue.
• The glandular tissue comprises about 20 lobes in each breast.
• Human milk
• Composed of about 80% water, 7% lactose, 4% fat and 1% protein (casein
and lactalbumin), Mineral salts (Na, Ca, P, K) vitamins, antibodies (IgA). Milk
is poor in iron.

• The corpus luteum is made up of lutein cells, which develop

immediately following ovulation,
• Corpus luteum is a completely normal cyst that forms on the ovary
every single month in women of childbearing age. This cyst is actually a
group of cells inside your ovaries that forms during each menstrual
cycle.
• If pregnancy doesn't occur, the corpus luteum slowly disintegrates.
This happens about 10 to 12 days after ovulation
• Estrogen:Estrogen is the most well known female sex hormone. Its
foremost function is to assist breast growth in puberty, help in the
growth of uterus lining during the menstrual cycle and maintaining
the bones strength by collaborating with vitamin D, calcium, and
minerals.
• The progesterone hormone performs its function in the second half of
the cycle. It forms the uterus lining for the eggs to be implanted after
ovulation.

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• Human chorionic gonadotrophin

• Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is another hormone that is produced naturally in women.
hCG is made in the cells that make up the placenta at the time of pregnancy, This hormone is
found in both urine and blood tests for pregnancy.
• The LH and FSH are called gonadotropins. They act on the female sex organs to produce estrogen
and progesterone and also stimulate ovulation.

Parts of Male Reproduction System

• penis
• scrotum
• Testes
• Epididymis
• vas deferens
• Prostate gland
• seminal vesicles
• The male reproductive system is part of a male’s body that is
responsible for the production of the male gamete as well as
transferring it to the reproductive system of the female.
• The majority of the male reproductive system’s parts are
located outside the body.
• The male reproductive system is located in the pelvic region. It
includes a pair of testes along the accessory ducts, glands, and
external genitalia or penis.

Scrotum
• It is a sac of thick skin that protects and surrounds the testes. It also controls the temperature of
the testes since they have to be at a slightly lower temperature than the body temperature for
suitable sperm creation.

Testes
• A pair of testes are present in humans. Testes are present outside the body in a pouch called the
scrotum.
• The two primary functions of tests are as follows:
• Producing testosterone – a male sex hormone.
• Producing sperms or spermatogenesis – a carrier of man’s genes.

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• Sperms are produced in the seminiferous tubules. Each testicular lobule contains one to three
seminiferous tubules. Seminiferous tubules are lined by two types of cells:
• Spermatogonia or male germ cells – They undergo spermatogenesis to produce sperm.
• Sertoli cells – They provide nutrition to germ cells.
• Leydig cells or interstitial cells are present outside the seminiferous tubules in the interstitial
spaces. They secrete male sex hormones or androgens, e.g. testosterone.

• The Vas deferens is a muscle-lined tube that transports sperm from the testis to the outside. It
originates from the epididymis

Seminal Vesicles
• The seminal vesicles are two tubular glands located below the urinary
bladder in the pelvis. They are connected to the corresponding Vas
deferens, which enter the prostate gland. The seminal vesicles produce
about 60 percent of the seminal fluid, a thick, alkaline liquid containing
fructose, proteins, citric acid, inorganic phosphorus,
• When this fluid mixes with sperm in the ejaculatory duct, the fructose
provides energy for the sperm.

Prostate Gland
• The prostate gland is located directly beneath the urinary bladder. The gland surrounds the
prostatic urethra and sends its secretions through several prostatic ducts. The prostate contributes
15 – 30% of the semen. The prostatic secretion is clear, slightly acidic and activates the
spermatozoa, and provides nutrition.

Bulbourethral Gland
• The Bulbourethral glands, also called Cowper’s glands are located beneath the prostate gland at the
beginning of the internal portion of the penis. They add an alkaline fluid to semen during the
process of ejaculation. The fluid secreted by these glands lubricates the urethra. It is also thought
to function as a flushing agent that washes out the acidic urinary residues that may remain in the
urethra before the semen is ejaculated.

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SPERM:

• The sperm is the male gamete in case of human reproduction.

• Approximately 200-300 million sperm are ejaculated at one go.
• Structure of sperm:
• The sperm consists of the head, neck, middle piece and tail.
• The entire body of the sperm is covered by a plasma membrane.
• The head consists of a cap-like structure called the acrosome which contains digestive enzymes that
help in the fertilization of the ovum. It also contains a haploid nucleus i.e. with only 23
chromosomes.
• The middle piece consists of many mitochondria which provide energy to the sperm for
locomotion, it also contains the centrioles.
• The tail is for the motility of the sperm.
• Antoni van Leeuwenhoek was the first to describe “semen animals” (spermatozoa) in an ejaculate
in 1677, and in 1679, he discovered the presence of spermatozoa in the vas deferens and testicular
tissue, leading him to conclude that sperm production was the sole purpose of the testis
• The living cells were first discovered by Antony Van Leeuwenhoek.
• The largest cell in the human body is female ovum. Smallest cell in the human body is male
gametes, that is, sperm.
• Sperm is 20 times smaller than the ovum.