Rafiki Network Reproductive Health Program
| Site: | Rafiki Network |
| Course: | Rafiki Network |
| Book: | Rafiki Network Reproductive Health Program |
| Printed by: | |
| Date: | Sunday, 8 September 2024, 10:29 AM |
Male and Female Reproductive Organs
Human Reproductive System
Male and female bodies have different reproductive systems.
They both have internal organs and external organs.
You can see external organs from the outside. You can’t see internal organs from outside.
Male External Sex Organs
Male external organs include the penis, testicles or testes, and scrotum.
The scrotum is a bag containing the two testicles. Urine and sperm come out from the urethral opening.
The testes produce a male hormone called testosterone. Also, the testes are responsible for producing sperm cells.
Male Internal Sex Organs
The sperm travel from the testes, through the shaft of the penis, and then out from the urethral opening.
The pathway of sperm
Testes → vas deferens → prostate → urethra
Female External Sex Organs
Female external organs include the labia majora, the labia minora, and the clitoris.
We can see the urethral and vaginal opening here too.
The vaginal opening is external, and it is connected to the vagina which is an internal organ.
The female urethral opening has one of the same jobs as the male urethral opening.
For females, this is where urine leaves the body.
Female internal organs
The female internal organs include the vagina, the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. There are 2 sets of ovaries and fallopian tubes.
The ovaries produce egg cells and also produce the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone.
The uterus is a house for a baby.
Eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus through the fallopian tubes.
Female External Sex Organs
Male External Sex Organs
Female Internal Sex Organs
Male Internal Sex Organs
Puberty
Human body growth
The reproductive organs are very different between men and women, even babies have reproductive systems. We call them our primary sexual characteristics. Between the ages of 8 and 15, our bodies dramatically change. These changes are called secondary sex characteristics.
Male secondary sex characteristics include muscle gain, voice change, hair growth in the pubic region, and growth of armpit hair and facial hair, like beards and mustaches.
Female secondary sex characteristics include wider hips and breast development, increased body fat composition, hair growth in the pubic region, and the menstrual cycle.
The testicles make the main hormone in a man’s body, called testosterone, and it helps change the male body’s secondary characteristics.
The ovaries make the female hormones, called estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen plays a big role in reproductive and sexual development including menstruation and pregnancy, and influences our skin, hair, and bones. Progesterone supports the reproductive system.
When we are children, we can’t have babies. As we get older, our bodies change to be physically mature so we can make babies. For girls and women, menstruation is a necessary function to make children. Of course, menstruation is important for boys too.
Female Secondary Sex Characteristics
Male Secondary Sex Characteristics
Hormones: Male and Female
Hormones 2
Menstruation
Menstruation
Menstruation and period have the same meaning. Only girls or women menstruate, but both boys and girls need to be understanding and supportive of menstruation.
When it comes to menstruation, blood and tissue from the uterus comes out from the vagina, and it can hurt. The uterus has 3 layers, and the endometrium is the innermost lining layer of the uterus. The endometrium is responsible for menstruation, and it is a bed for a baby. If the woman doesn’t get pregnant, the endometrium slides out, and that is the bloody material of menstruation.
Menstruation is a very important process for us. By menstruation, we are preparing our bodies for pregnancy. Menstruation comes about every month (28 days), but it is often different for everyone. The first period comes around 12-13 years old, but girls can start their period as young as 9, or as late as 16. However, it is still very risky to become pregnant before 18 years old. Women usually have their periods until about 45 to 55 years old.
Menarche means the first period.
Menopause means that periods have stopped.
In menstruation, bleeding typically lasts around 4 to 5 days. Of course, we all have different bodies, and our bodies have different cycles that can be longer or shorter. In these cycles, some women have heavy periods with a lot of menstrual blood and some women have light periods with less menstrual blood. All these differences are normal and unique to each of us.
There are many kinds of menstrual sanitary products such as pads, cups and tampons. If girls and women use these products, we can keep our favorite skirt or pants from getting messy with menstrual blood. Please remember that having your period might be a little troublesome, but it is a very important part of being a woman. All women experience it, and it is very normal.
Menstruation
Menstrual Cycle
Menstrual Products
Family Planning
Ovulation
Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary to the fallopian tube. It occurs 2 weeks before the first day of menstruation. At that time, if sperm meets the egg, fertilization happens.
Fertilization is the joining of the father’s sperm and the mother’s egg to form a baby. Babies
grow up in the mother's vagina for about 9 months.
Life planning
If you want a baby in the future, you should think about your life plans. When you get
pregnant, it is difficult to keep going to school, studying, and playing with your friends. Being
a parent costs a lot of money. Teenage pregnancy is very dangerous for both the mother’s and
baby’s health. The pelvis of teenagers is not wide enough to safely give birth and for the baby
to grow. You should think about having a baby when you are ready both physically and socially.
The most important thing to learn is how to prevent pregnancy until you are ready.
How to prevent pregnancy?
First, condoms are great because they can be used to prevent pregnancy and also STIs,
which stands for sexually transmitted infections. Use a condom every time you have sex.
Second, not having a sexual relationship is the only absolute 100 % way to avoid pregnancy.
You have sexual and reproductive rights. You have the right to choose sexual partners. You
have the right to choose when you have sex and when you have children. You have the right to choose to have children. You have the right to choose how many children. It’s essential for both boys and girls to think about life planning
Family Planning
STIs: Sexually Transmitted Infections
What are STIs?
STI stands for sexually transmitted infections. There are 4 types of STI pathogens, which are
Fungi, Protozoa, Bacteria and Viruses. Candida is a Fungi. Trichomonas is a Protozoa.
Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Syphilis are bacteria. HPV, HIV, HBV, and Herpes are viruses. All
STIs are infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. In short, when you have sex with an infected person, you can be infected by STIs.
Medical features of STIs
Sexually transmitted infections cause signs in the penis or vagina. These signs are an unusual
color or bad-smelling fluid coming from the vagina or penis, itching or painful genitals, sores or blisters on the genitals, and pain in your lower abdomen or pain during sex. If you ignore these signs, you may make future pregnancy difficult and pass STIs to your future children. Some STIs can dramatically damage the human body. In the worst case, this damage can lead to death. STI symptoms can be cured but some viruses and fungi will always be in our bodies after we are infected. So, we must learn to live with them all of our lives.
How to prevent STIs
If you think you have an STI, see a health worker, stop having sex, or use condoms. When you
use a condom, make sure it is new and undamaged. Squeeze the tip of the condoms and put
it on the end of the hard penis. Keep squeezing the tip while unrolling the condom, until it
covers all of the penis. The loose part at the end will hold the man’s sperm.
Related to STIs, HIV is one of the most important STIs. There isn’t a care for HIV, but we can control HIV. Once we are infected with HIV, we will always have it. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by HIV. HIV destroys the immune system which is our body's protection system. HIV spreads in several ways (sex, blood-to-blood, infection, etc.), but is not found in sweat, saliva, or tears. So, it is essential to use condoms and not to share tools such as tattooing tools, ear piercing, and nail cutters.
Please understand that when we have sex without using a condom we can catch any of these
STIs, or all of them.