Female V. Male Reproductive System

If you asked someone, "What differences are there between the female and male reproductive system?", there would be many responses to that. Yes, there are many differences between the two, but there are some slight similarities, too. Weird, isn't it?

But first, let us take a look at what some of the differences are.

When you take a take a look at the penis and vagina, there are many differences between the two, anatomy wise. For example, the majority of the male reproductive system is located outside of the body; penis, scrotum, and the testes. However, in the female, the anatomy of the female reproductive system is inside the body; fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, etc.

Although anatomically different, the systems between the male and female is similar, with some slight differences. According to WebMD, both the male and female reproductive system are designed to produce and transport sperm and egg, respectively. It's like a train, bus, or any other transportation system, going from point A to point B.

However, the way in which the sperm and egg are transported are different.

For males:

1. Sperm is produced in the testes

2. Sperm goes to epididymis to mature

3. Mature sperm travels through the vas deferens

4. Mature sperm gets coated with seminal fluid from seminal sac (now mature sperm can be considered semen)

5. Semen goes into the urethra and is ejaculated.

But, for women:

1. All egg in ovaries are already produced before birth

2. During the menstrual cycle, hormones are released and stimulate a small amount of eggs to grow and mature

3. When the eggs are ready, only one is released from the ovaries and is captured by the ends of the fallopian tubes (finger-like)

4. The egg makes its way down the fallopian tube. This is where one of two processes can occur, depending if the egg is fertilized by the sperm or not.

*As for this post, I will be focusing on the process where fertilization does not occur*

5. The unfertilized egg continues to travel down the fallopian tube and goes into the uterus.

6. Since the egg is not fertilized, the outer-most lining of the uterus is not needed, and is shed along with the unfertilized egg, which then is released out the vagina, and is known as a "period".

7. This process will continue monthly until the women becomes pregnant, which afterwards will start this cycle again, or when the women goes through menopause.

As you can see, both reproductive systems are similar, in that the sperm and egg travel through the system, but the system itself differ between the two sexes.

Another way in which these two systems are similar, is in the surgery to become infertile (i.e. vasectomy for men, and tubal ligation for women). Both surgeries stop the process of sperm or eggs travelling to the area in which its supposed to go to. Therefore, making the man or woman infertile.

However, the procedure is a lot less invasive for a man, than for a woman. For men, according to the Urology Care Foundation, the surgeon only needs to find the vas deferens (tube where sperm travels to become semen), and make a slight incision. Although for women, according to Mayo Clinic, the surgeon has to open her up to get into where the fallopian tubes are located.

The video below shows a man receiving a vasectomy.

Vasectomy Procedure

by:UrologyCenterAL

Is there anything new or surprising that you learned?