ABSTRACT

The complex individual organs that comprise the male reproductive system have but a single evolutionary goal: to deliver spermatozoa to the female reproductive tract (1). Haploid germ cells originate in the testis and travel through the epididymis and into the vas deferens, eventually reaching the ampulla, where the mixing of seminal vesicle secretions occurs. The vas deferens then becomes the ejaculatory duct as it winds through the prostate to empty into the prostatic urethra. The germ cells, now additionally mixed with ejaculatory secretions from the accessory sex glands (seminal vesicles, prostate, and bulbourethral gland), then exit the body through the penile urethra. The entire system is dependent on neuroendocrine regulation from the pituitary and hypothalamus. Knowledge of the anatomy and embryologic origins of each of the components of the male reproductive tract is important in developing a basic and thorough understanding of the system as a whole. This chapter provides a brief overview of the male external and internal genital organs, with the intention of providing the foundation for the better diagnosis and treatment of male reproductive dysfunction. For more information on spermatogenesis, the neuroendocrine control of the male reproductive system, and the physiology of the prostate and epididymis, please refer to other chapters contained in Part I of this volume.