The Sperm and the Egg
11/18/2012
Sharon Belden
The Sperm and the Egg
Introduction
The male and female bodies are especially designed with organs to help the reproduction and fertilization process. The sperm and the egg go through a journey through the body to meet and reproduce. All along the way, the human body helps to make this possible. Without the semen, vas deferens, epididymis, and the testicles, this process would not be functional. Without the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes, the egg would not survive to reproduce.
The Origin and Development of the Sperm
The scrotum is the skin that holds the testes. It takes 72 days for sperm to be ready to start their journey. This is how long it takes for them to mature. The seminiferous tubule is where sperm are made and stored. In a lifetime, there are billions of sperm made and stored here. When the sperm are ready to leave here, they go through a maze of tubes called epididymis. At this point in their lives, the sperm are not active (Rathus, 2011).
They are here in the epididymis for 2 to 4 weeks. Once they are mature, they are sent to the vas deferens. This is a place for only mature sperm to be stored. Once matured, they go through the seminal vesicles, which release the sperm into the ejaculatory ducts. Here, the sperm are mixed with a liquid to help nourish them to become active little swimmers. The liquid they are mixed with is high in fructose (Rathus, 2011). From the ejaculatory ducts, the sperm go through the urethra which takes the sperm out of the tip of the penis to begin the reproduction process.
The Origin and Development of the Egg
Women are all born with couple of million eggs already in their ovaries. By the time puberty hits, there are only about 400,000 eggs left (Rathus, 2011). Every month after puberty, one egg is released from the ovaries to be fertilized....