Reproductive System Overview and Male Anatomy

Produces, stores, nourishes, and transports sperm (male reproductive cells).

Held outside the body in the scrotum to regulate temperature for sperm production.

Coiled tubes inside testes where sperm are produced.

Produce testosterone (male hormone) in the testes.

Stores sperm, adjusts fluid, and completes sperm maturation; important for sperm movement later.

Tube that transports sperm from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct.

Mixture of sperm and fluids from accessory glands (nourishment and protection).

Produce the fluid part of semen that nourishes and protects sperm during ejaculation.

Produce a significant portion of semen fluid containing nutrients and other components, such as fructose for energy.

Produces fluids that help to activate and transport sperm.

Outer wall of the renal corpuscle; encloses glomerular capillaries.

Cells in the visceral layer of the glomerular capsule with foot processes (pedicels) wrapping around capillaries.

Most abundant waste product; formed from amino acid breakdown.

Waste created from skeletal muscle creatine phosphate breakdown.

Paired tubes transporting urine from kidneys to bladder; prevent backflow.

Solid substances (calculi) formed from calcium, magnesium, or uric acid crystals.

Stores urine; size varies with contents, holds up to 1 liter.

Triangle at the base of the bladder, with ureteral openings and urethra.

First segment of renal tubule; majority of reabsorption occurs here.

Network of ducts that transports tubular fluid to the renal pelvis for adjusting fluid composition and osmotic concentration.

Paired glands near the base of the penis that secrete an alkaline mucus to neutralize acids and lubricate the glans penis. Produces less than 5% of semen.

Normal sperm count in semen is 20-100 million per milliliter.

Typical ejaculation volume is 2-5 mL of semen.

The penis introduces semen into the vagina during intercourse and conducts urine out of the body.

A fold of skin covering the glans penis; often removed in circumcision.

Circumcision can lower the risk of UTIs, penile cancer, and HIV infection.

During erection, nitric oxide (NO) relaxes smooth muscles, causing dilation of arteries and filling of vascular channels with blood.

The process of sperm cell production within the testes.

The process of ovum production in the ovaries beginning before birth.

A 28-day cycle of follicle development, ovulation, and corpus luteum formation.

The preovulatory phase of the ovarian cycle, involving follicle growth stimulated by FSH.

Release of a secondary oocyte from the follicle.

The postovulatory phase, involving corpus luteum formation (progesterone secretion).

Series of changes in the uterine lining (endometrium) throughout the menstrual cycle.

A tough, fibrous membrane that surrounds the kidney, protecting it and maintaining its shape.

The outer layer of the kidney containing the nephrons, responsible for filtering blood and producing urine.

The inner layer of the kidney containing the renal pyramids, responsible for collecting and transporting urine.

Cone-shaped structures within the renal medulla that contain collecting tubules, responsible for concentrating urine.

The tip of each renal pyramid that projects into the renal sinus, allowing urine to drain into the minor calyx.

A spherical structure that filters blood in the nephron. It consists of the glomerulus (a capillary network) and the Bowman's capsule, which surrounds the glomerulus.

The glomerulus is a network of capillaries in the renal corpuscle. It acts as a filter, allowing blood to pass through its walls but retaining large molecules like blood cells and proteins.

The renal tubule is a long, twisted tube that carries filtrate from the renal corpuscle. It's divided into three sections: the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT), the nephron loop (or loop of Henle), and the distal convoluted tubule (DCT).

Filtrate is the fluid that has been filtered from the blood in the glomerulus. As it moves through the renal tubule, its composition is altered, and it's then called tubular fluid.

The collecting duct is the final segment of the nephron. It collects tubular fluid from multiple nephrons and transports it to the renal pelvis. It also plays a crucial role in adjusting the composition of urine by regulating water reabsorption.

A multi-layered structure in the glomerulus that filters blood, allowing small molecules to pass through but blocking larger molecules like blood cells and proteins.

Gaps between the pedicels of podocytes, allowing small molecules to pass through but blocking larger molecules.

A layer of the filtration membrane made of collagen and glycoproteins, providing structural support and filtering blood.

A network of capillaries within the renal corpuscle that acts as a filter for blood, allowing small molecules like water, glucose, and ions to pass through but blocking large molecules like blood cells and proteins.

The renal corpuscle filters blood, creating a filtrate that contains valuable nutrients, ions, and water.

A network of capillaries within the renal corpuscle where filtration occurs. Blood pressure forces fluids and small solutes into the capsular space.

Responsible for reabsorbing water and ions from the filtrate, contributing to concentration gradients in the medulla.

The first part of the renal tubule, where most reabsorption of water, nutrients, and ions from the filtrate back into the blood occurs.

Carries tubular fluid from the nephrons, adjusts fluid composition and osmotic concentration, and ultimately delivers urine to the renal pelvis.

The nephron consists of the renal corpuscle, the renal tubule, and the collecting duct.

Nephrons are the functional units of the kidneys, responsible for filtering blood, reabsorbing essential substances, and secreting waste products to produce urine.

A waste product formed from the breakdown and recycling of RNA.

The smooth muscle layer in the urinary bladder wall that contracts to expel urine into the urethra.

A network of capillaries within the glomerulus, responsible for filtering blood by allowing passage of water, small solutes, and waste products while retaining larger molecules like blood cells and proteins.

A U-shaped segment of the renal tubule following the PCT, playing a crucial role in concentrating urine through countercurrent multiplication, where water is reabsorbed in the descending limb and solutes are reabsorbed in the ascending limb.

The final segment of the renal tubule before the collecting duct, involved in regulating the fine-tuning of electrolyte balance, acid-base balance, and hormone-mediated reabsorption of sodium and calcium.

A specialized region where the distal convoluted tubule contacts the afferent and efferent arterioles, playing a key role in regulating blood pressure and filtration rate by releasing renin, a hormone that triggers the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

A specialized group of cells in the distal convoluted tubule that monitor the sodium concentration in the tubular fluid, providing feedback to the juxtaglomerular cells, which release renin to control blood pressure and glomerular filtration rate.