Sex organ
Encyclopedia : S : SE : SEX : Sex organ
A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those anatomical parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in a complex organism; namely:
- Male: penis (notably the glans penis), prepuce, testicles, scrotum, prostate, seminal vesicles, epididymis, Cowper's glands
- Female: vulva (notably the clitoris and labia), vagina, cervix, uterus, Fallopian tubes, ovaries, Skene's glands, Bartholin's glands.
The Latin term genitalia, sometimes anglicized as genitals, is used to describe the sex organs, and in the English language this term and genital area are most often used to describe the externally visible sex organs, known as primary genitalia or external genitalia: in males the penis and scrotum, in females the vulva.
The other sex organs are called the secondary genitalia or internal genitalia. An even wider notion, subjective but always prominently including the genitalia, is erogenous zones.
A gonad is a sex organ that produces gametes, specifically the testes or ovaries in humans.
Organs of sexual anatomy originate from a common anlage and differentiate into male or female sex organs. The SRY gene, usually located on the Y chromosome and encoding the testis determining factor, decides the direction of this differentiation. Each sexual organ in one sex has a homologous counterpart in the other one. See a list of homologues of the human reproductive system.
Anatomical terms related to sex
The following is a list of anatomical terms related to sex and sexuality:
- areola
- Bartholin's gland -- breast -- bulbocavernosus muscle -- bulbospongiosus muscle -- bulbourethral gland
- cervix -- clitoris -- common penile artery -- corona glandis -- corpora cavernosa -- corpus cavernosum -- corpus spongiosum -- Cowper's glands-- cremaster muscle
- dartos muscle -- ductus deferens
- ejaculatory duct -- endometrium -- epididymis
- Fallopian tube -- foreskin -- frenulum -- frenulum preputii penis -- frenulum labiorum pudendi -- frenulum clitoridis -- frenum -- fundiform ligament
- G-spot -- Gartner's duct -- genital tubercle -- genitofemoral nerve -- glans -- glans penis -- Gräfenberg spot
- hymen
- internal pudendal artery -- ischiocavernosus muscle
- labium -- labia majora -- labia minora
- mammae -- mammary gland -- meatus -- mons veneris -- Mullerian duct
- nipple
- ovary -- ovum -- oviducts
- penis -- perineum -- prepuce -- prostate -- pubic hair -- pubic symphysis -- pubococcygeus muscle -- pudendal nerve
- raphe -- ridged band
- scrotum -- seminal vesicles -- semeniferous tubules -- Skene's glands -- sperm -- spermatic cord -- sphincter urethrae membranaceae -- splanchnic nerves
- testes -- testicle -- tunica albuginea
- urethra -- urethral sponge -- urogenital diaphragm -- uterus
- vas deferens -- vagina -- vesiculae seminales -- vomeronasal organ -- vulva
- Wolffian duct
See also
- Castration
- Circumcision
- Genital modification and mutilation
- Human sexuality
- Hysterectomy
- Intersexuality
- Intimate parts
- List of transgender-related topics
- Mastectomy
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Oophorectomy
- Secondary sex characteristics
- Sex
- Sexual behavior
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