We explain what the reproductive system is and what human reproduction consists of, as well as its characteristics and pathologies.
What is the reproductive system?
The human reproductive system is the set of organs and ducts of the human body intended for procreationthat is, the generation of new individuals of the species.
This system is different between male and female human beings, since each of them plays a different role in the stages of the sexual process.
Reproduction is one of the elementary functions of all living beingswhich allows the species to continue beyond the life of individuals.
In the case of higher animals, such as humans, this process is carried out sexually, that is, involving two different beings that give half of their genetic load in the process for the construction of a completely new one.
See also: Digestive system.
human reproduction
The reproduction of the human species is the process that goes from copulation or the sexual union of two individuals and the birth of a new individualafter a gestation period that normally lasts nine months.
Is about a process of genetic exchange in which the parents deposit half of their genetic load and, through random combinations, generate a new one, heir to both.
Organs of the reproductive system
The human reproductive system It is composed primarily of the sexual organs or gonads, in both men and women, with which the physical union (coitus) of the individuals takes place and where (in the case of women) the resulting new individual will be housed.
Furthermore, they intervene in the process the sexual glands, known as gonads and also located in the genitals, responsible for producing the hormones that regulate sexual function and its unconscious processes, as well as the secretion of semen and sperm (men) and eggs (women), cells destined for the joint production of a new individual.
These organs all They are located in the lower abdomen of the human body. They have a psychological and cultural importance in human civilization that has led to taboo, that is, to being “forbidden” body parts that must be hidden from the sight of others.
Male reproductive system
The male reproductive system includes the following organs and ducts:
- Penis. Tubular-shaped organ that serves to penetrate the female apparatus and deposit the seminal content there with the fertilizing cells (sperm).
- Testicles. Double organ located in a hanging sac below the penis, and responsible for producing the substances and hormones necessary for reproduction.
- Prostate. Internal organ, unlike the two previous ones, where the testicles send the sperm for preparation before being expelled by the penis. It is also responsible for generating various hormones.
- Seminal ducts. The series of connections between the organs that generate semen and the ducts through which it comes out.
- Ejaculatory ducts. The pathways through which semen is expelled from the body.
Female reproductive system
The female reproductive system is internal, unlike the male, and includes the following organs and ducts:
- Ovaries. Organs that produce female hormones and where eggs, female sex cells, are formed and then descend into the uterus to await fertilization.
- Fallopian tube. They are the tubes that lead from the ovaries to the uterus, through which the eggs descend.
- Uterus. The space where the eggs wait for the arrival of the sperm to be fertilized and then adhere to the walls of the egg and become a zygote (fertilized egg).
- Vagina. The duct through which the penis enters the female body during intercourse, and which leads to the uterus.
intercourse
human intercourse consists of the sexual arousal of individuals, who prepare themselves psychologically, emotionally and physically for it. For this, cultural, ritual and psychological factors are necessary, in addition to bodily ones, such as the erection of the penis (through the filling of its cavities with blood) and the lubrication of the vaginal canal.
Subsequently, the union of the sexual organs occursallowing the penis to enter the vagina and the reciprocal stimulation of the nerves involved, which eventually lead to orgasm: an ecstatic and pleasurable sensation that triggers male ejaculation, depositing the semen full of sperm inside the uterus.
Fertilization
fertilization It occurs when there is an available egg already waiting in the female uterus, and the latter is flooded by male semen containing sperm.
At least one of these manages to reach and penetrate the cellular barrier of the egg, sliding in its genetic content and fusing with it. Then, there will no longer be two different sexual cells, but one fertilized cell, which will be called a zygote.
Pregnancy or gestation
The zygote or fertilized egg will begin to multiply rapidly over the course of nine months of gestation, to gradually reach the level of complexity necessary to constitute the different tissues of a new human body.
This requires Billions of hyper-specialized cells constituting the different new organs of the young body of what will then begin to be a fetus, increasingly with a more defined human form.
Childbirth
Once the gestation period has elapsed, a new individual ready to exist independently It will be lodged in the mother’s uterus, and must come out through the birth canal of the vagina.
This process is called childbirth, and it usually begins at a certain time close to the completion of nine months of pregnancy.
Importance of the reproductive system
The human reproductive system It is vital for the existence of the species and is the result of billions of years of animal evolution.
The ability to produce new individuals is key to the survival of organized life and in the transmission of genetic values acquired throughout the centuries of evolutionary history.
Pathologies of the reproductive system
There is a possibility that the organs of the reproductive system suffer from diseases, atrophies or specific problems that prevent their functioning, such as:
- Infertility. It occurs when the sex cells are defective and fail to fertilize or be fertilized, or once fertilized, they fail to fix correctly in the womb of the uterus.
- Impotence or frigidity. This is the name given to the inability of the male or female reproductive system, respectively, to achieve the necessary conditions for intercourse: in the case of men, achieving an erection or sustaining it long enough for intercourse; and for women, to achieve the necessary lubrication so that the entry of the penis is not traumatic and painful.
- Sexually transmitted infections. There are various sexually transmitted infections that affect the reproductive organs and can eventually prevent their proper functioning, such as HPV (Human Papillomavirus), Syphilis, Gonorrhea, etc.