ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION The biological function of the male reproduction system is to produce male sex hormones and healthy male gametes and to provide a system and route for the gametes to be transported to the female gamete at the appropriate time and in adequate condition such that fertilization and development of an offspring can occur. This extraordinary feat is accomplished through a series of highly coordinated and complex processes that ultimately produce spermatozoa and sex hormones that are vital to the development, regulation, and integration of male reproductive function. Simplistically, the human male reproductive system includes those organs that operate cooperatively toward the reproductive process. The coordination of reproduction is ultimately controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis (HPT axis), with the hypothalamus neuroendocrine liaison to and from the central nervous system (CNS). The reproductive system of the male mammal is composed of the HPT axis; the external organs, which include the penis, scrotum, and urethra; and the internal organs, which include the testis, vas deferens, epididymis (caput, corpus, and cauda), seminal vesicles, coagulating glands, prostate, bulbourethral glands, and the ejaculatory ducts. The male sex organs work together to produce and release semen into the reproductive system of the female during sexual intercourse. Chapter 2 explains in detail the normal development of the male reproductive system.
