The Reproductive

SystemUnit 8 - Lesson 1

The Endocrine System

• Endocrine system hormones are key factors in the function of human reproductive systems.

• Sex hormones are necessary for the development of sexual characteristics.• Females make estrogen• Males make testosterone

Pituitary Gland

Thyroid Gland

Adrenal Gland

Pituitary Gland• The Pituitary Gland is known as the MASTER

GLAND. It makes hormones that begin the production of egg and sperm.

• Hormones from the pituitary gland also control the menstrual cycle.

Pituitary Gland Disorders

• The pituitary gland also controls growth hormone. A disorder is gigantism.

Thyroid Gland

• The thyroid controls how quickly the body uses energy. It helps regulate METABOLISM.

Thyroid Disease• The thyroid needs iodine to work

properly.

• Goiter

Adrenal Gland

• The adrenal gland produces adrenaline. These glands are found above the kidney.

The Male Reproductive

System

The Male Reproductive System

• The male reproductive system has both internal and external organs.

• Testis – external organs that produce male hormone testosterone and reproductive cells called sperm.

The Male Reproductive System• The scrotum helps keeps the

testis at a stable temperature.

• Semen – the mixture of sperm and fluid. Leaves body through the urethra, which is the same tube that carries urine out of the body.

• Nearly 200-300 million sperm are deposited in the female during fertilization.

• Men make sperm their WHOLE lives. 100 million per day.

Testis

Scrotum

Seminal

Vesicle

Urethra

Penis

Bladder

Prostate

Gland

Sperm Duct

or Vas Deferens

The Female Reproductive

System

The Female Reproductive System

• The female reproductive system consists of internal organs called ovaries which produce egg cells.

• The female already has all the egg cells in her body at birth. At puberty, the eggs begin to be released.

The Female Reproductive System• Once a month the ovulation process

releases an egg. Ovulation typically happens in one ovary at a time.

• Ovulation stops at around age 50. A female will only release around 400 eggs in her lifetime.

• A hollow, pear shaped, muscular organ in which fertilized eggs develop is called the uterus.

• The vagina, or birth canal, is a muscular tube that opens to the outside of the body.

Fallopian

Tube or

Oviduct

Ovary

Vagina

Uterus

Cervix

The Menstrual Cycle• The menstrual cycle is a

monthly cycle of changes in the female reproductive system.

• Endocrine hormones including estrogen and progesterone control the menstrual cycle. These hormones come from the PITUITARY GLAND.

The Menstrual Cycle• Menstruation, which is the release of blood

and uterine lining tissue occurs in phases.

• Phase 1 begins when menstrual flow starts and lasts about 4 to 6 days.

• Phase 2 involves the thickening of the uterine lining and ovulation, or egg release.

• Phase 3 continues with uterine preparation and ends with decreasing hormone levels and uterine lining breakdown if no fertilized egg arrives.

• Menopause – the gradual shutdown of the ovaries which ends ovulation and menstrual periods.

The Menstrual Cycle