Chapter 18

The Reproductive System

LECTURE 1

MR A TLHALE
ATLEGANG.TLHALE@SMU.AC.ZA
 Overview
❑ Male Reproductive ❑ Female Reproductive
Physiology Physiology
➢ Anatomy ➢ Anatomy
➢ Gamete formations and delivery ➢ Gamete formation and sperm
➢ Hormonal regulation reception
➢ Secondary sexual characteristics ➢ Menstrual cycle and hormonal
regulation
➢ Secondary Sexual characteristics
➢ Fertilization and Gestation
➢ Parturition
➢ Lactation
Uniqueness of the
Reproductive System
Is the reproductive system critical for
the survival of an individual?
❑ No contribution to homeostasis and not essential for the survival
of an individual
❑ Only system that is different between males and females
 Different but similar…
❑ Male and female reproductive systems differ, but have similar
components
➢ Primary reproductive organs (Gonads): Testes vs Ovaries
➢ Reproductive ducts: Epididymis and vas deferens vs Fallopian tubes
➢ Accessory glands:
Seminal vesicles, prostate and Bulbourethral/Cowper’s gland vs

➢ External genitalia: Penis and Scrotum vs Vulva (Labia, Clitoris) and

breasts

❑ Males and females have secondary sexual characteristics

➢ External characteristics that distinguish males and females
➢ Development and maintenance is influenced by sex hormones
The male reproductive
system: Anatomy
Male Reproductive system
❑ Testes => Produce sperm cells (in seminiferous tubules) and
testosterone (in Leydig/interstitial cells);
➢ Housed in a skin-sac, known as the Scrotum, which regulates testes
temperature for optimal sperm production during spermatogenesis

❑ Spermatogenesis is temperature sensitive. The scrotum

provides a cooler environment (less than body temperature)
❑ epididymis = storage and maturation unit of sperm cells
before being transported through the vas deferens
❑ Sperm cells are delivered to the female reproductive tract in a
liquid medium known as semen
➢ Semen = a mixture of secretions from the seminal vesicle, prostate
gland and the bulbourethral gland which nourishes and protects
Male accessory organs
❑ These work together to produce semen for sperm nourishment
and transportation:
❑ Seminal vesicles => Produce seminal fluid that nourishes
sperm and helps it move
❑ Prostate gland => Adds alkaline fluid (which acts as a buffer) to
semen to neutralize the acidity of the female reproductive tract.
❑ Bulbourethral glands (Cowper's glands) => Secretes a pre-
ejaculate mucus that lubricates and neutralizes traces of acidic
urine in the urethra
Spermatogenesis
= Defined as the process by which sperm cells are produced
in the testes
❑ in this process, stem cells known as spermatogonia proliferate
and differentiate into mature spermatozoa (sperm cells)
❑ Takes place within the coiled seminiferous tubules
❑ Sertoli cells provide nutrients and support to the developing
sperm cells
❑ Spermatogenesis takes place in 3 major stages:
➢ Mitotic proliferation
➢ Meiosis
➢ Packaging
 Spermatozoa

❑ Head: Consists of the nucleus, which contains the genetic info, and the
acrosome, a vesicle full of inactive enzyme that drills into the ovum (egg)
❑ Midpiece: Has mitochondria to supply the sperm cell with energy
❑ Tail: used for mobility
Hormonal Control of
testicular function
❑ Spermatogenesis is controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-
gonodal axis (HPG) axis
❑ GnRH released by the hypothalamus acts on the anterior pituitary.
❑ The anterior pituitary then releases LH and FSH
❑ LH stimulates the Leydig cells to produce testosterone
❑ FSH and testosterone act on Sertoli cells to stimulate
spermatogenesis, and secrete inhibin
❑ Inhibin serves as a negative feedback signal to the anterior
pituitary to selectively inhibit FSH release
GnRH = Gonadotropin-Releasing hormone
LH = Luteinizing hormone
FSH = Follicle stimulating hormone
Hormonal control of
testicular function
❑ GnRH activity is inhibited in the prepubertal period
❑ Therefore, LH and FSH are not secreted at an adequate level to
stimulate any significant testicular activity
❑ Between ages 8-12, GnRH secretion, and subsequently LH,
FSH and testosterone secretion increase
❑ Physical changes that encompass the secondary sexual
characteristics and reproductive maturation become evident
Male secondary sexual
characters
❑ Increased testosterone during puberty initiates the development
of secondary sexual development
➢ Facial hair, muscle growth, voice deepening

❑ Testosterone binds to androgen receptors in target tissues

(muscles, bones, skin)
❑ This triggers gene expression of ‘male’ characteristics
❑ Testosterone levels stabilize after puberty, but continue to
maintain muscle
The female reproductive
system
Female reproduction
system: Anatomy
Female reproductive system = more complex, consisting of
structures that produce and transport eggs, as well as support
pregnancy.

❑ The ovaries are responsible for producing eggs and

hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle.
❑ After ovulation, the egg travels through the fallopian tube
where it may meet sperm and become fertilized.
❑ The uterus supports the developing foetus
❑ The cervix and vagina play critical roles in childbirth and
sexual function.
Oogenesis and the
menstrual cycle
❑ Unlike continuous sperm production and testosterone secretion
in males, egg release in females is controlled by cyclic events,
with fluctuations in secretion of female sex hormones
❑ The female reproductive systems undergoes changes that
prepare the system for fertilization and implantation of an ovum,
and subsequent embryonic and foetal development.
❑ If no fertilization takes place, simply put, the preparation is
scrapped, and system starts over.
 Diploid (2n) =
46 chromosome

Oogenesis Haploid (n) =

23 chromosomes
❑ Takes place in the ovaries
❑ Oogonia (2n, 1 chromosome strand) (comparable to
spermatogonia) divide mitotically to give rise to 6-7 million
oogonia
➢ Takes place during foetal development, and stops by the fifth month of
gestation

❑ In the last part of foetal development, the first meiotic divisions

begin, but is not completed…
❑ These are now primary oocytes (2n, 2 chromosome strands).
❑ These primary oocytes remain in this meiotic arrest (meiosis I)
for years until they are prepared for ovulation
❑ Just before birth, oocytes become primary follicles
Oogenesis continues…
❑ Just before ovulation, the primary oocyte (now a follicle)
resumes and completes its first meiotic division. This division
yields 2 daughter cells
❑ 1 cell becomes the secondary oocyte (n, double stranded),
while the other becomes the first polar body, which soon
degrades
❑ the secondary oocyte (n, double stranded) is ovulated into
the fallopian tube…
❑ if fertilized, it loses one of the strands as a polar body, thereby
remaining with 23, single stranded chromosomes, and thus fusing
with a 23-single-stranded-chromosome sperm cell
 The Ovarian cycle and its
hormone control
❑ The cycle typically spans 28 days
❑ controlled by the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovary axis (HPO axis)
❑ Consists of two stages:

➢ Follicular phase : Charaterised by development of maturing follicles

➢ Luteal phase : Characterised by the presence of a corpus luteum
 The Ovarian cycle and its
hormone control
The Follicular phase (Day 1-13):
❑ Begins with menstrual bleeding (Day 1), triggered by a drop in
progesterone and oestrogen
❑ Hypothalamus secretes GnRH in pulses
❑ GnRH stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to release FSH and LH
❑ FSH stimulates the growth of several follicles in the ovaries
❑ Each follicle consists of an immature oocyte surrounded by granulosa and
theca cells (NB for hormone production)
❑ FSH stimulate granulosa cells to secrete oestrogen

❑ LH stimulates theca cells to secrete androgens, which are

converted by granulosa cells to oestrogen by the enzyme aromatase
The Ovarian cycle and its
hormone control
❑ Oestrogen levels keep rising as the follicles grow..
❑ Oestrogen stimulates the thickening of the endometrium
❑ As its levels rise, Oestrogen also provides negative feedback to
the pituitary to moderate FSH and LH release, thereby preventing
excessive follicular growth.
❑ Between day 7-10, one follicle becomes dominant, while others
degenerate…
❑ Between day 10 and 13, the follicle mature, and this stimulates
the pituitary to release a surge of LH
The Ovarian cycle and its
hormone control
Ovulation (Day 14):
❑ The LH surge cause the follicle to release a mature egg from the
ovary into the peritoneal cavity
❑ Fimbriae of the fallopian tube pick up the released egg and
direct it into the fallopian tub
➢ This release egg can survive approximately 12-24 hours post-
ovulation, and fertilization must occur within this time…

❑ LH also stimulates theca cells to secrete progesterone

The Ovarian cycle and its
hormone control
Luteal Phase (Days 15-28):
❑ Formation of the Corpus Luteum begins…
❑ After the eggs is release, the remaining Graafian follicle
transforms into the corpus luteum
❑ Progesterone (and to a lesser extent, oestrogen) which has
been released by theca cells maintains the uterine lining in
preparation for possible implantation
❑ At the endometrium, progesterone stimulates the production of
nutrient-rich secretions for the prospective embryo
❑ Progesterone also acts as a negative-feedback to the
hypothalamus and pituitary gland
 The Ovarian cycle and its
hormone control
❑ If Fertilization Occurs:
➢ If the egg is fertilized, it implants into the endometrium
➢ the developing embryo secretes human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG),
which acts on the corpus luteum to maintain progesterone production.
➢ This prevents the breakdown of the endometrium and sustains pregnancy
until the placenta can take over hormone production around 8-10 weeks

❑ If Fertilization Does Not Occur:

➢ Without hCG, the corpus luteum degenerates after about 12-14 days,
becoming the corpus albicans (a scar-like structure).
➢ The fall in progesterone and estrogen levels causes the endometrial lining
to break down and be shed as menstruation, marking the end of the
luteal phase and the beginning of a new cycle.