Reproduction
REPRODUCTION
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This is the production of offspring by humans whereby the male produces sperm and the female, eggs. Reproduction involves several processes that must occur at exactly the right time and any interruption to the necessary steps can interfere with fertilization and/or implantation and result in infertility. However, fertilization occurring internally increases the chances of conception.
Female: Once puberty is reached the monthly menstrual cycle commences and prepares the body for a possible pregnancy. At the beginning of the cycle, an egg (ovum) begins to develop in the ovary. At the same time the inner wall of the womb (uterus) forms a soft spongy lining. The egg is then released from the ovary, and travels to the womb along the fallopian tube.If it is not fertilized by a sperm, the egg and lining of the womb, which breaks down, passes out of the body through the vagina. |
This is what is known as a period (menstruation). The cycle then begins again and is controlled by hormones called oestrogen and progesterone. The normal cycle is about 28 days, but can vary from woman to woman.
Male: Sperm is produced by the male in the testes. The penis is comprised of three parts: the head, the root, and the shaft. The head is where the urethra opening is located, through which semen and urine pass. This organ is made up of veins, arteries, and spongy tissue. When a man is sexually aroused, the arteries begin to dilate and the spongy tissue is filled with blood as the penis becomes erect. A liquid called semen (containing sperm) pass out of the end of the man’s penis (ejaculation) and is deposited inside the women’s vagina.
| This is also called ‘making love’, because it is a very intimate act between a man and a woman, and it should be a pleasurable experience for both. Approximately 250 million to 1 billion sperm are produced and ejaculated at a given time in a healthy male. Following ejaculation, (approximately 250 million to 1 billion sperm are produced and ejaculated in a healthy male) the man’s sperm must swim through the woman’s cervical mucous, and continue through the womb and into the fallopian tube where it eventually meets the egg.Fertilization occurs when a sperm finds and penetrates an egg as it waits in the fallopian tube.Once the egg is successfully fertilized, it continues to move through the fallopian tube and into the uterus where it will implant in the uterine wall and result in the female becoming pregnant. |
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Over the next nine months this egg will then develop into a baby.
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www.sexualhealthtayside.org