ANNEX 1 HUMAN REPRODUCTION Human Reproduction is the natural process of combining genetic information to create an offspring with both

male and female features. Female Reproductive System Facts: The human female reproductive system is designed so that a woman can produce eggs, have sexual intercourse, expel the egg if it has not been fertilized, accommodate and nourish the fetus if fertilization has taken place, give birth to the baby when fully developed and feed the baby with milk produced in the breasts. Unlike men, a womans reproductive organs are mostly hidden from view inside her body. They consist of the uterus (the womb), the fallopian tubes and ovaries, the cervix, vagina and the vulva. The breasts: The Breasts form part of the womans reproductive system as they play an important role in the nourishment of the new born baby. They also give sexual pleasure during intercourse. The uterus: It houses the growing baby during pregnancy, and will greatly increase in size as the baby develops - up to 20 time its non-pregnant size! The uterus is the most important organ in the female reproduction system. Every month the uterus builds up the inner lining (endometrium) to prepare itself for holding the egg if if is fertilized. If conception does not happen, it sheds the egg and extra tissue from the lining through the vagina. This reproductive process is called a period or menstruation. The fallopian tubes: The eggs are produced in the ovaries and travel down the fallopian tubes towards the uterus during the female reproductive cycle. They are usually around 12 centimeters long. If the egg is fertilized this will happen while it is still in the fallopian tube.

The ovaries: The ovaries are where the woman stores the eggs. During puberty sex hormones will start of the female reproductive cycle and stimulate around twenty egg cells to start to develop. Only one egg will reach maturity however, the other eggs will die off. The mature egg will enter the fallopian tube and will either be fertilized or will be expelled from the body during the womans menstrual cycle.

The vagina: The vagina connects the female genitals to the uterus. It acts as a two-way canal, accommodating the penis during sexual intercourse and is the passage way for the new baby during child birth. It is a muscular tube and like the uterus is able to expand considerably to accommodate the head and body of the baby as it travels down the birth canal. The cervix: The cervix joins the vagina to the uterus. During intercourse sperm will travel through the cervix and will continue through the uterus up the fallopian tubes.Two female reproduction system hormones, estrogen and progesterone, stimulate the production of mucus in the cervix. If there is not much mucus sperm will find it hard to get through into the uterus. When an egg begins its journey down the fallopian tubes, estrogen levels increase and the mucus in the cervix becomes thin and stretchy, providing a much easier route for the sperm.

The vulva: The vulva is the whole pubic area down to the rectum. There are two flaps of fatty tissue around the vagina entrance and urethra (where urine is expelled). The outer flaps are called the labia majora, and the inner flaps are called the labia minora. Towards the front of the vulva lies the clitoris. When stimulated this short organ can become erect and give sexual pleasure to the woman.

Male Reproductive System Facts: The role of the male reproductive system is:

to produce sperm to discharge sperm into a womans vagina during sex to produce sex hormones which maintain the male reproductive organs.

the male has reproductive organs, or genitals, that are both inside and outside the pelvis. The male genitals include: Penis: This is the male organ used in sexual intercourse. It has three parts: the root, which attaches to the wall of the abdomen; the body, or shaft; and the glans, which is the cone-shaped part at the end of the penis. The glans, also called the head of the penis, is covered with a loose layer of skin called foreskin. This skin is sometimes removed in a procedure called circumcision. The opening of the urethra, the tube that transports semen and urine, is at the tip of the penis. The penis also contains a number of sensitive nerve endings.

Scrotum: This is the loose pouch-like sac of skin that hangs behind and below the penis. It contains the testicles (also called testes), as well as many nerves and blood vessels. The scrotum acts as a "climate control system" for the testes. For normal sperm development, the testes must be at a temperature slightly cooler than body temperature. Special muscles in the wall of the scrotum allow it to contract and relax, moving the testicles closer to the body for warmth or farther away from the body to cool the temperature. Testicles (testes): These are oval organs about the size of large olives that lie in the scrotum, secured at either end by a structure called the spermatic cord. Most men have two testes. The testes are responsible for making testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, and for generating sperm.
Semen and Sperm:

About one teaspoon of semen is produced during ejaculation. Semen is the milky substance which contains around 2 to 3% of sperm, the rest of which is seminal fluid which is the vehicle for sperm entering the vagina. Each ejaculation normally contains between 200 and 500 million sperm. The sperm is the smallest cell in the human body. Mens bodies will continue to produce sperm as long as there is even just one normal testicle.

HOMEWORK: STUDY PARTS GENERAL FACTS OF THE HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEMS MALE AND FEMALE IN THIS WEBPAGE: http://science.pppst.com/humanbody/human-reproductive-system.html

QUESTIONS

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what is reproduction? Why do you consider Reproduction as an important process? Mention some of the organs of the male and female reproductive system? What are primary and secondary sexual characteristics? Give examples What is the puberty? What are the cells in the reproductive system?