The second basic male sexual function is ejaculation—the process by which semen is expelled through the penis to the outside of the body. Many people equate male orgasm with ejaculation. However, these two processes do not always take place simultane­ously. Before puberty a boy might experience hundreds of "dry orgasms"—orgasms without any ejaculation of fluid. […]

Sperm, as seen under a microscope. ______________________________ Up to this point in the chapter, we have looked at the various parts of the male sexual system, but we have not described their functioning in much detail. In the following pages, we examine two of these functions: erection and ejaculation. Erection An erection is a process […]

As we have seen, the semen or seminal fluid ejaculated through the opening of the penis comes from a variety of sources. Fluids are supplied by the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland, and the Cowper’s glands, with the seminal vesicles providing the greatest portion (DeMoranville, 2008). The amount of seminal fluid that a man ejaculates—roughly […]

The Cowper’s glands, or bulbourethral glands, are two small structures, each about the size of a pea, located one on each side of the urethra just below where the ure­thra emerges from the prostate gland (see Figure 4.6). Tiny ducts connect both glands directly to the urethra. When a man is sexually aroused, these organs […]

The prostate (PROS-tayt) gland is a structure about the size and shape of a walnut, located at the base of the bladder (see Figure 4.6). As described earlier, both ejacula­tory ducts and the urethra pass through this gland. The prostate is made up of smooth muscle fibers and glandular tissue, whose secretions account for about […]

The seminal vesicles (SEH-muh-nul VEH-si-kuls) are two small glands adjacent to the terminals of the vas deferens (see Figure 4.6). The seminal vesicles play an important role in male fertility by contributing to the formation of healthy semen and functional sperm (Zhang & Jin, 2007). These glands secrete an alkaline fluid that is rich in […]

Sperm held in the epididymis eventually drain into the vas deferens (vas DEH-fuh — renz), a long, thin duct that travels up through the scrotum inside the spermatic cord. The vas deferens is close to the surface of the scrotum along this route, which makes the common male sterilization procedure, vasectomy (vuh-SEK-tuh-mee), relatively simple. (Vasectomy […]

The testes, or testicles, have two major functions: the secretion of sex hormones and the production of sperm. The testes form inside the abdominal cavity, and late in fetal development they migrate through the inguinal canal from the abdomen to the scro­tum (Kaftanovskaya et al., 2011). At birth the testes are normally in the scrotum, […]

The scrotum (SKROH-tum), or scrotal sac, is a loose pouch of skin that is an outpocket — ing of the abdominal wall in the groin area directly underneath the penis (I Figure 4.3). When I took swimming classes in high school, the trip back to the locker room was always a bit traumatic. After peeling […]

As previously mentioned, the internal extension of the penis is surrounded by an elab­orate network of muscles. This musculature is comparable to that in the female body, and strengthening these muscles by doing Kegel exercises can produce benefits for men similar to those experienced by women. In most men these muscles are quite weak because […]