InterActive Medical Terminology

Based on the best selling text: An Introduction to Medical Terminology for Health Care (Fifth edition) by A.R.Hutton published by Elsevier Ltd

Unit 13: The Male Reproductive System

The interactive learning material in this unit is arranged into an introduction and five sections:

Note: FlashCards and a check list of combining forms for this unit are at the end of Section 4.

A short list of abbreviations, pathological conditions, clinical procedures and laboratory tests associated with the male reproductive system is available from the:Word Check

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Section 1: Introduction

The male possesses paired reproductive organs known as the testes (synonymous with testicles). These are held in position outside the main cavities of the body by a sac called the scrotum. Each testis produces millions of sperm cells (spermatozoa) that carry the male genes. Once mature sperms are mixed with glandular secretions to form a liquid known as semen. Semen containing active swimming sperms are ejaculated from the erect penis during sexual intercourse.
Sperms swim along the reproductive tract of the female to the oviducts where they may fuse with an egg in the process of fertilization. If an egg is successfully fertilized it may develop into a fetus and ultimately into a unique human being.


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Section 2: The testicles, scrotum, epididymis and vas deferens

First examine Anatomy Exercise 1 that shows the main regions of the male reproductive system. We will examine all of these structures separately as we progress through the sections.

Anatomy Exercise 1


 

The study of the male reproductive system is known as andrology (andr/o - meaning man, the opposite of gynecology, gynec/o meaning woman). However many disorders of the male reproductive system may be dealt with in the a department of urology as the reproductive system is closely associated with the urinary system in males.

The Testes (Testicles)

The male reproductive organs are present in pairs and their function is to produce sperm and male sex-hormones called androgens. The testes are enclosed in a sac called the scrotum that hangs behind the penis; in this position they maintain a cooler temperature compatible with the viability of the sperm.

Roots 1 and 2 show the medical roots associated with the testicles and scrotum. Learn the combining forms of these and those that follow as they will be used in the Word Exercises.


Root 1 Orchi-         from a Greek word orchi meaning testicle.
Combining form Orchid/o, orchi/o    testicle or testis (the male reproductive organ)


 
Root 2 Scrot-          from a Latin word scrotum. 
Combining form Scrot/o    scrotum (the pouch that contains the testicles)




               
Clinical Point
Stethoscope		 Cryptorchism The testicles descend from the abdominal cavity near the kidneys through the inguinal canal to the scrotum around the time of birth. The failure of one or both testicles to descend into the scrotum is called cryptorchism (condition of hidden testicles). If both testes are undescended and no treatment is given the result is infertility.
 
   

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