Which structure produces spermatozoa

Find a range of men's health services, delivered by local professionals today. During puberty, the level of a hormone called gonadotrophin-releasing hormone GnRH increases.

GnRH is produced in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. In turn this causes an increase in the production of two hormones from another part of the brain, called the pituitary gland.

LH in the bloodstream causes cells in the testicles testes to make and release testosterone, the main male hormone. FSH and testosterone work together to stimulate the testes to produce sperm. Each sperm cell takes between days to form and around million are produced every day. Inside the testes sperm is made in structures called the seminiferous tubules.

At the top and to the back of each testicle testis is the epididymis, which stores sperm. Leading from the epididymis is the vas deferens. The vas deferens carries sperm towards the penis. Along the way it joins other tubes and during ejaculation collects fluids from the accessory sex glands.

The mixture of sperm and fluids from the accessory sex glands is called semen. About two thirds of the volume of semen come from the seminal vesicles. The semen is then passed into the urethra. When sexually aroused, a number of changes occur inside the penis. The arteries supplying the penis get bigger, allowing more blood to enter its tissues.

The extra blood flow causes the penis to enlarge and to become more rigid. The extra blood flow plus signals from the nervous system and chemical changes cause an erection. The corpus spongiosum runs along the underside of the cavernosa. It contains the spongy urethra and expands past the body of the penis to form the glans penis the tip.

The tissue of the corpora cavernosa and the corpus spongiosum is spongelike in structure. During arousal and intercourse, the spaces in the tissue fill with blood. The penis stiffens. Now it can penetrate the vagina to deliver semen directly into the female reproductive system.

See more from our free eBook library. The Body Online. Female Reproductive Structures. Reproductive Processes. When you select "Subscribe" you will start receiving our email newsletter. Use the links at the bottom of any email to manage the type of emails you receive or to unsubscribe. As it passes the prostate gland, a milky fluid is added to make semen. Updated by: Sovrin M. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Editorial team. Sperm release pathway. Each epididymis is a long about 6 meters tube that is tightly coiled to form a comma-shaped organ located along the superior and posterior margins of the testes.

When the sperm leave the testes, they are immature and incapable of fertilizing ova. They complete their maturation process and become fertile as they move through the epididymis. Mature sperm are stored in the lower portion, or tail, of the epididymis. The ductus deferens, also called vas deferens , is a fibromuscular tube that is continuous or contiguous with the epididymis.

It begins at the bottom tail of the epididymis then turns sharply upward along the posterior margin of the testes.