Reproductive System Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is puberty?
The period when sex organs become active due to hormones, typically occurring in girls between ages 10-14 and boys between ages 12-16.
Puberty involves significant physical changes in the body.
What are primary sexual characteristics?
The sex organs present at birth that are involved in reproduction.
Examples include the penis and scrotum in males, and vagina and ovaries in females.
What are secondary sexual characteristics?
Physical traits that develop during puberty, such as voice pitch changes in males and breast development in females.
These characteristics appear during and after puberty.
List the primary sexual characteristics in males.
- Penis and scrotum
- Testes (maturation during puberty)
These organs are crucial for sexual reproduction.
List the primary sexual characteristics in females.
- Vagina and other internal genitalia
- Vulva and other external genitalia
- Ovaries (maturation during puberty)
These structures are essential for reproduction.
What is reproduction?
One of the 7 life processes involving the production of offspring.
Humans reproduce sexually, requiring both male and female reproductive systems.
What are sex cells in females called?
Eggs
Eggs are produced in the ovaries.
What are sex cells in males called?
Sperm
Sperm are produced in the testes.
What is the function of the ovaries?
Produce ova, with one egg produced approximately once a month.
Ovaries are essential for female reproduction.
What is the function of the testes?
Produce sperm cells.
Testes are crucial for male reproduction.
What is the role of the fallopian tubes?
Tubes through which ova travel to reach the uterus, where fertilization occurs.
The fallopian tubes are vital for connecting the ovaries to the uterus.
What is the function of the scrotum?
Holds the testes and maintains a slightly lower temperature than body temperature.
This is important for sperm production.
What is the uterus’s role?
Where the baby grows and develops.
The uterus is essential for pregnancy.
What is the vas deferens?
The tube that carries sperm cells from the testes to the penis.
This structure is part of the male reproductive system.
What is the cervix?
The passageway between the vagina and uterus that must dilate during childbirth.
It plays a critical role in the birthing process.
What does the prostate gland do?
Secretes fluid that is added to sperm cells to form semen, helping to keep sperm alive.
The fluid is alkaline and contains various chemicals, including enzymes.
How does semen enter the female reproductive system?
Via the vagina.
The vagina is the birth canal for babies.
What does the seminal vesicle contribute to?
Adds liquid to semen that contains proteins, enzymes, sugar, and vitamin C.
The sugar provides energy for sperm cells.
What is the urethra’s function in males?
The tube through which semen leaves the male’s body.
It serves as a passage for both urine and semen.
What happens to the penis during sexual arousal?
It swells, and semen containing sperm cells is ejaculated into the vagina.
This is a key part of the male reproductive process.
