46 Understanding Our Bodies
A Man’s
Reproductive
System
A man’s sexual parts are easier to see than a woman’s
because they are mostly outside the body. The testicles
(balls) make the main hormone in a man’s body, called
testosterone. When a boy goes through puberty, his body
begins to make more testosterone. It causes the changes
that make a boy look like a man.
The testicles also make a
man’s sperm. A man begins
to produce sperm during
puberty, and makes more
every day of his life.
Sperm travel from the
testicles through a tube in the
penis where they mix with
a liquid produced by special
glands.
This mixture of liquid and
sperm is called semen.The
semen comes out of the penis
when a man climaxes during
sex. Each drop of semen has
thousands of sperm which are
too small to see.
penis
urethra
bladder
vas deferens
(sperm tube)
testicle
scrotum
Having a baby—will it be a boy or a girl?
About half of a man’s sperm will
produce a baby boy and the other half
will produce a girl. Only one sperm
will join with the woman’s egg. If it is a
boy sperm, the baby will be a boy. If it
is a girl sperm, the baby will be a girl.
Because most communities value
men more than women, some families
would rather have boys than girls.
This is unfair because girls should
be valued just as much as boys. It is
also unfair because in some places
a woman is blamed if she does not
have any sons. But it is the man’s
sperm that makes a baby either a
boy or a girl!
Boy or girl?
It is up to
chance—
much like
flipping a coin.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012