Equipping People To Make Sense Of What They Are Told
The Reproductive System
All living things reproduce. However, even though the reproductive system is essential
to keeping a species alive, unlike other body systems it's not essential to keeping
an individual alive and functions only for part of the human life span.
In the human reproductive process, two kinds of sex cells, or gametes, are involved.
The sperm from the man, and the egg or ovum, from the woman meet in the woman’s reproductive
system to create a new individual. Both the men and women’s reproductive systems
are essential for reproduction.
The production of ova (woman sex cells - gametes) is cyclic.
The production of sperm by the men is constant.
Unlike all of the other body systems the reproductive body system differs dramatically
between women and men.
During sexual intercourse the men may ejaculate more than 300 million sperm into
the vagina, fewer enter the cervix; while fewer still reach the fallopian tube. Several
hundred may reach as far as the ova, however only one can fertilize it.
Humans pass certain characteristics of themselves to the next generation through
their genes - the special carriers of human traits. The genes parents pass along
to their offspring are what make children similar to others in their family, but
they're also what make each child unique. These genes come from the father's sperm
and the mother's egg.
