#PLACE OF SPERM PRODUCTION SKIN#

This torsion cuts off the blood supply to the testis. This is when the spermatic cord becomes twisted, usually after an injury to the testis or after strenuous activity. Surgery may be needed to repair the rupture.Īnother rare form of injury is a ‘twisted testicle’ or testicular torsion. Usually this is not serious, but very rarely a severe trauma can cause blood to leak into the scrotum this is called testicular rupture. Physical injury – the testes lie outside of the body and are not protected by muscle and bone so any physical shock (trauma) to the testes can cause severe pain, bruising and swelling.

Many things can wrong with the testes these can be grouped into physical injury and diseases or conditions that affect the function of the testes: From puberty onwards, testosterone provides the main stimulus for sperm production Testosterone is important in maintaining these secondary male characteristics throughout a man’s life. It also causes the development of male characteristics such as growth of facial hair, deepening of the voice and the growth spurt that takes place during puberty. Testosterone is important in the first stages of developing the male reproductive organs in a foetus. The testes also produce inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone from Sertoli cells, and insulin-like peptide 3 (INS元) and oestradiol from the Leydig cells. Testosterone is secreted by cells that lie between the seminiferous tubules, known as the Leydig cells. The main hormone secreted by the testes is testosterone, an androgenic hormone. They are then ready to be released at ejaculation via the vas deferens. There are about 700 of these tubes in each testis, each is the length of an arm and the width of a few hairs the whole collection of tubules if laid end to end is longer than a football pitch! Once the sperm are produced in the seminiferous tubules, they pass into the epididymis (a long coiled tube in which sperm mature as they are conveyed along it). Sperm are produced in the seminiferous tubules of the testes. The testes have two functions – to produce sperm and to produce hormones, particularly testosterone. This is because sperm production and quality is optimal at this lower temperature. The testes lie outside of the body and are maintained at a temperature about 2 oC lower than the body's core temperature. The cord contains the nerves and blood vessels for the testes as well as the vas deferens, which carries the sperm from the testes to the urethra the urethra is the passageway for sperm to the outside of the body at ejaculation. The testes move freely in the scrotum but each testis is attached to the body wall by a thin cord called the spermatic cord, which passes through a cavity in the pelvis and into the abdomen.

#PLACE OF SPERM PRODUCTION SKIN#

The testes, also known as testicles or male gonads, lie behind the penis in a pouch of skin called the scrotum. Magnification: x3750 Where are the testes? The developing heads of the sperm cells are embedded in a layer of Sertoli cells (red) that nourish the developing sperm. Coloured scanning electron micrograph of sperm cells that are developing inside a seminiferous tubule.

Place of sperm production