1. Ovaries in females
   Produce female gametes: eggs.
2. Testes in males
   Produce male gametes: sperm.

Procreation is a wonderful process.

1. Ovaries
   Eggs are produced in follicles. A female is born with between 30,000 and 300,000 eggs (sitting in prophase I of meiosis) in her ovaries. Ovulation is the release of an egg. In the female reproductive cyle, generally speaking, one 'month' an egg is released from one ovary and the next 'month' another is released from the other ovary.
2. Fallopian tubes
   (Oviducts) Feather-like structures around the ovaries and the 'tubes' leading to the uterus.
3. Uterus
   A pear-shaped structure made up of smooth muscle tissue (myometrium) and the endometrium. The myometrium is responsible for contractions.The endometrium is the vascularized (containing blood vessels) that, given that the woman is not pregnant, is sloughed off. When a female is not pregnant the uterus is 3.5" x 2.5" x 1.5". At full-term in pregnancy, the uterus is 15" x 10" x 8"--the uterus is very flexible/elastic.
4. Cervix
   At the base of the uterus; the area that must expand to a certain size for a child to be born. When the cervix is dilated to 10
5. Vagina
   Where the sperm is deposited. Serves as part of the birth canal.

Hormone interactions relative to egg maturation
16.2 Female Hormone Interactions
The female cycle is about 28 days (range: 20-40 days; a lot of variation). (Day 1 is the first day of menstrual flow.) The hypothalamus (part of the brain) releases a gonadotrophin releasing hormone which is carried by the blood to the pituitary, signaling it to release FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (lutinizing hormone). These hormones are carried in the blood to the ovaries. The FSH (as named) stimulates the development of follicles (in most cases, only one matures). As the follicles begin to develop (around day 5) there is an increase in estrogen, which corresponds with an increase in the endometrium (the vascularized tissue that is sloughed off). Around the 13-14th day the estrogen reaches a peak, and there is a spike (sharp increase) in LH. Shortly after that spike, the egg is released from the follicle. This marks the end of the follicular phase and the beginning of the luteal phase. In the luteal phase, progesterone levels begins to increase. Estrogen levels dip a little but then increase as well. The follicle that has released the egg (then termed the corpus luteum) is the structure that produces the progesterone and estrogen. These hormones function to maintain and build the endometrium: this build up of blood prepares nourishment should the woman become pregnant. If fertilization occurs, these two hormones increase slightly, feeding-back to the pituitary and hypothalamus to stop the release of FSH and LH. If fertilization doesn't occur, the cycle begins anew with the sloughing off of the endometrium.
(Review the diagram.)

1. Time frame
   Puberty: the process of reaching sexual maturity. When it begins and ends is highly variable (begins at around 10-13; ends at around 18 yrs.)
2. Development of secondary sex characteristics
   Breast development occurs: fatty tissue deposited, axillary hair, sex organs enlarge and mature. Dr. Cates' note: a healthy amount of fat is important.
3. Menarche
   A woman's first menstruation.
4. Factors affecting menstrual consistency
   Diet, body weight, fatty tissue (9-10% body weight), exercise (can delay menarche/ effect menstrual consistency), disease: all can influence menstruation.

1. Testes
   Contained within the scrotum; produce and store sperm. Contain seminiferous tubules.
2. Duct system
   The sperm moves from the testes through the vas deferens.
3. Auxiliary glands
   3 glands we want to talk about. The seminal vesicle adds about 60% of semen material: fructose (energy source for the sperm), prostaglandins (assist in moving sperm up female reproductive tract), etc.. The prostate gland functions to add alkaline fluids to the semen, which is important because the female tract is very acidic, and, therefore, hostile to the male sperm. The bulbourethral gland, we think, functions in adding a lubricant to the semen.

It takes around 60 days for sperm to mature.

4. Penis
   

1. Time frame
   Highly variable (general range: begins at 12-14, continues until 18-21 yrs.)
2. Hormones
   The hypothalamus releases the gonadotrophin releasing hormone to the pituitary which releases the same hormones released by females: FSH and LH. The FSH in males stimulates the production of sperm. The LH is responsible for various things, including the release of testosterone. Testosterone triggers the development of secondary sex characterstics:
3. Development of secondary sex characteristics
   An increase in skeletal muscle mass; axillary hair; deepening of voice; etc..