REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN HUMANS

 

Reproductive organs are one of the important things in the life of every human being.

 In the past, talking about reproductive organs was still very taboo, it doesn't mean that it's not anymore, it's just that there are still people who think it's inappropriate to talk about it. Promotion of reproductive health in adolescents is often connoted as sex education where some people in Indonesia still consider this taboo.

 There has been a lot of news that has been broadcast through electronic media or print media that contains news about reproductive health and its relation to sex. Now, information about sex can be obtained and accessed easily through the internet. If it is not based on sufficient knowledge, trying new things related to reproductive health can have an impact that will destroy the future of adolescents and their families.

According to Barbara Nash and Patricia Gilbert, the reproductive organs are subject to various diseases. To prevent this, early knowledge and understanding about reproductive organs and reproductive health is very important for every teenager, both male and female, so that he will be better able to maintain his reproductive health.

For this reason, women and men need to increase their knowledge of reproductive health in order to create optimal reproductive health conditions.

Reproductive health in question is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely free from disease or disability in all matters relating to the reproductive system and its functions and processes.

However, many surveys have exposed neglect and carelessness to respect the health of the reproductive organs which tend to often result in physical and emotional suffering with unwanted pregnancies, infections and potentially life-threatening diseases that are a consequence of lack of knowledge or error in obtaining information about it. Regarding this issue, it is highly expected that everyone from a relatively young age (teenagers) has good knowledge and understanding of matters relating to their reproductive health.

There are also psychologists who consider adolescence as a transition from childhood to adulthood, namely times when children no longer want to be treated as children, but when viewed from their physical growth they cannot be said to be adults. During this period, there were psychological changes that caused confusion among teenagers, so that this period was referred to by Westerners as the strum and drang period or known as "puberty", while Americans called it "adolescence". While in Indonesia there are those who use the term "age of puberty", "puberty" and at most call it "teenagers".

The word "puberty" comes from the Latin word which means the age of becoming an individual who is able to carry out the biological task of continuing his offspring. In this period there are biological changes, namely the start of the work of the reproductive organs accompanied by psychological changes.

The reproductive system is an important component of body systems, although it does not play a role in homeostasis and is essential for a person's life. In humans, reproduction takes place sexually. The reproductive organs of humans differ between men and women.

1. Structure and function of reproductive organs

Both men and women have reproductive organs that consist of two parts based on their location, namely the external and internal genitalia.

a. The structure and function of the male reproductive organs

The male reproductive organs function to produce sperm (gametogenesis) and distribute sperm to women.

1) External Genitals

a) The penis serves as a means of penetration of the woman's vagina during copulation (copulation).

b) The urethra is the tube that carries urine and sperm.

c) The scrotum is a pouch of skin that covers the testes and the epididymis.

2) Inner genitals

a) Testes

The testes in men are in pairs, oval in shape, and located in the scrotum. In the testes occurs the process of making male sex cells and sex hormones.

In the testes there are fine vessels (vas seminiferus) that contain prospective sperm in their walls. Between the vas seminiferus there are cells called interstitial cells that function to produce sex hormones, such as testosterone. In addition, there are large cells, Sertoli cells which are useful for providing food for sperm.

b) Epididymis

The epididymis is the reproductive tract that serves as a place for sperm maturation. In addition, the epididymis is formed by irregular grooved channels and is also a temporary storage place for sperm. The tube that connects the epididymis and the testes is called the efferent testicular duct.

c) Vas deferens

This channel is a continuation of the epididymis. Its function is to transport sperm to the seminal vesicles (sperm sacs). The vas deferens and ducts from the glands of the sperm sac will unite to form the ejaculatory duct which eventually empties into the urethra.

d) Genital Glands

The male sex glands are the seminal vesicles, prostate gland, and bulbourethral (Cowper) gland.

• Seminal vesicles: a pair of glands that function to produce 50-60% of the total volume of semen which is clear and thick in color. The most important components in it are fructose and prostaglandins.

• Prostate gland: the largest sex gland in men accounting for 15% of the total volume of semen with its important components being acid phosphatase, zinc, citric and proteases. This content makes the semen liquid become more watery.

• Bulbourethral (Cowper's) glands: a pair of small glands that secrete fluid before the penis secretes sperm and semen.