| Term | Definition |
|---|
| testes | The male gonads, which produce sperm and secrete male sex hormones. |
| secondary sex characteristics | Characteristics - such as body hair, muscle development, broadened pelvis, or voice depth - controlled by the male and female hormones, but not essential to the reproductive process. |
| scrotum | A sac of skin outside the body wall in which the testes are located. |
| epididymis | A storage area for sperm on the upper, rear part of the testis. |
| vas deferens | The tubes that carry sperm from each testis to the urethra. |
| urethra | The tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. |
| semen | The mixture of sperm and fluids released during ejaculation. |
| ejaculation | A process by which involuntary muscular contractions force the semen through the urethra and out of the body. |
| ovaries | In animals, the female gonad, which produces egg cells. |
| follicles | The structures in the ovaries in which the mature eggs develop. |
| ovulation | The release of an egg from an ovary. |
| oviduct | A tube that carries the egg away from the ovary. |
| uterus | The thick, muscular, pear-shaped organ in the female mammal in which the embryo develops. |
| cervix | The narrow neck of the uterus. |
| vagina | The structure leading from the uterus to the outside of the body in mammalian females; the birth canal. |
| menstrual cycle | The hormone-controlled cycle in the human female, lasting about a month, in which an egg matures and is released from the ovary and the uterus prepares to receive it. |
| in vitro fertilization | The process of fertilization in a glass laboratory dish. |
| implantation | The fastening of the embryo to the wall of the uterus. |
| pregnancy | In mammals, the period during which the developing embryo is carried in the uterus. |
| fetus | The developing baby after about the second month of pregnancy. |
| chorion | The membrane that surrounds the embryo and the other extraembryonic membranes in mammals, birds, and reptiles. |
| placenta | In mammals, a temporary organ through which the fetus receives food and oxygen from the mother's body and gets rid of wastes. |
| umbilical cord | In placental mammals, the structure that connects the fetus and the placenta. |
| amniotic fluid | The fluid that fills the amnion. |
| gestation | The length of pregnancy. |
| labor | The slow, rhythmic contractions of the uterine muscles during childbirth. |
| fraternal twins | Two individuals formed when two eggs are fertilized at the same time; twins that are genetically different. |
| identical twins | Two individuals formed when one fertilized egg divides at an early stage of development, producing two organisms with the same gentic makeup. |
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