Reproduction in Human

Puberty:

The human is born with the reproductive organs but they do not perform any function uptill the age of
puberty. When these productive organs begin its function under the influence of the hormones from
pituitary gland is called the age of puberty.

Gametes:

The sex cells are called gametes

Male Reproductive system:

The male gametes are called sperm cells.

Testis:

Testes produce the male’s gametes called sperm cells. The testis produces more than 100million sperms
per day. The testis can only function properly below the body temperature. Therefore the testis are held
outside the body in pouch called ‘scrotum’.

Scrotum:

The scrotal sac of scrotum holds the testis outside the body of the male. This is because testis cannot
produce sperms at body temperature. To maintain the temperature of the testis it is held outside the
male’s body.

Sperm duct:

This duct carries sperms away from testis. The sperm duct then joins to another tube that brings the
urine. The sperms are stored before being released from the male’s body in the seminal vesicles of the
sperms duct.
Prostate gland:

The prostate gland surrounds the joining area of the sperm duct and urine tube from bladder. The
function of this gland is to produce seminal fluid containing nutrients for the sperms to survive. The
seminal fluid and sperms together forms the semen that is ejaculated outside the male body.

Urethra:

The urethra is the tube that carries both the semen and urine along the penis to be released from the
body

Penis:

This is the organ that introduces the sperms into female during the sexual intercourse. The penis is
surrounded by spongy tissue that fills with blood to firm (erect) the penis so that it can enter female.
Ejaculation: The release of sperm outside the male’s body through penis when it erects.

Female reproductive system

The females egg cells are called eggs or ovum.

Ovaries:

The female reproductive systems have two ovaries. The function of ovaries is to produce female
gametes called egg cells or ova (ovum). The female releases one ovum in a month. Each ovary releases
an egg alternatively each month. The ovary is also responsible for producing female’s sex hormone
called oestrogen and progesterone.

Oviduct/Fallopian tubes:

These tubes link ovaries to the uterus. They carry the egg cell from the ovaries though the peristalsis
movement as it is lined with cilia. The fertilisation also takes place here in the female body.
Uterus:

It is a pear-shaped organ that supports the embryo. The implantation of the zygote takes place in the
wall of the uterus. The muscles off the uterus contracts causing labor pain before birth. The exchange of
material between the mother and the embryo also occurs via the uterus lining,

Cervix:

The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina.

Vagina:

The vagina is the female reproductive organ that receives the penis during the sexual intercourse. It is
where the sperms enter the female body. The opening of the vagina is called thee vulva.
Comparison between the male and female gamete:
 The eggs are much bigger in size than the sperm cells: This is because the egg needs much
space for storing nutrients on which the zygote feeds on before the implantation occurs in
uterus.
 Only one egg is released at a time so that they are not wasted. On the other hand, sperm cells
are released in millions to increase the chance of successful fertilization.
 Sperm cells have tails that helps them to swim to the egg. Eggs cells cannot move and they are
swept to the uterus by the cilia of the oviduct’s wall.
 Sperm cells also have mitochondria to release energy required for swimming up to the egg.

Fertilization:

After the sperm cells are released into the female body, they enter via the vulva. The sperm cells then
use the nutrition from the seminal fluid to release energy in the form of ATP from the mitochondria. The
energy is used to swim to the egg cell by using the tail. If the egg cell is present in the oviduct then the,
sperm cells gather around the egg. All of the enzymes then begin to secrete the enzyme that digest the
protein made wall of the egg. Once, the very first sperm cell successfully enters its head inside the egg,
the egg produces impermeable membrane. The impermeable membrane restricts any other sperms
entering the egg cell. Only the head of the sperm enters the egg and the tail is left behind. The haploid
nucleus of the sperm now fuses with the haploid nucleus of the egg to form a diploid zygote. This
process is called fertilization
If egg cell is not present in the oviduct then the sperm cells dies within the three days and are releases
outside the female body. Many sperms approaches the egg but only one sperm can fertilize the egg.
Implantation:

After the successful fertilization, the diploid zygote is formed. The zygote then keeps dividing by mitosis
to form a ball of cells that is of same size as the egg cell originally. The zygote has now formed the
embryo. The development of the zygote to the embryo occurs as it is moving along the oviduct to the
uterus. As the embryo reached the uterus it sinks into the soft lining of the uterus and gets attached to
it. This process is called the implantation..

Pregnancy:

Some of the cells of the embryo grows villi like projections that fixes in to the wall of the uterus.. The

uterus of the mother also grows the same villi like projections. The two projections of the embryo and

mother forms a structure called placenta. The placenta has two sets of villi the one that have fetus’s

blood capillaries and the other that have mother’s capillaries. The blood flows between the fetus to the

mother through the umbilical cord attached via the placenta. The umbilical cord has umbilical artery and

vein. The umbilical artery carries deoxygenated blood from the fetus. The umbilical vein carries

oxygenated blood to the fetus. The exchange of substances between the fetus and the mothers occurs

through diffusion. The waste like carbon dioxide and urea diffuses from the fetus to the mother blood.

While, the nutrient for the growth of the fetus diffuses from the mother to the baby.

The embryo also produces the bag surrounding the baby; this bag is called amnion or amniotic sac. The

amniotic sac is filled with the amniotic fluid that protects the fetus from the mechanical shock.

Dietary needs of the mother: