Anatomy of the Penis

The penis is comprised primarily of two cylinders of sponge-like vascular tissue (corpus cavernosa) that fills with blood to create an erection.
Blood is pumped into the penis under great pressure and a series of valves keep it in the penis to maintain the erection. A third cylinder is the urethra, a tube that carries the urine and the ejaculate. The knobby head of the penis is called the glans. Blood flows to the penis by two very small arteries that come from the aorta. These arteries are the same size as the arteries to your finger.




Important Parts of the Penis



Corpus Cavernosa

The erectile tissue (corpora cavernosa & corpus spongiosum) in the penis expands during sexual stimulation. Penis enlargement exercises aim to increase the holding capacity of this tissue allowing higher amounts of blood to be held by the penis tissues during stimulation causing an increase in penis size.
The sexual stimulation can be visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory, or imaginative. During sexual stimulation the arteries supplying the penis with blood dilate and large amounts of blood rush into the erectile tissue. The blood is trapped because the vessels draining the penis become compressed. The penis stays this way until ejaculation or until the male is no longer stimulated.

Epididymis

The epididymis is a structure which lies on and around each testicle. It functions in the transport, storage and maturation of sperm cells originating from the testicle. When a man complains of scrotal pain, acute or chronic epididymitis is far and away that most common diagnosis.

Vas Deferens

The vas deferens are tubes which carry the produced sperm to the prostate where it's activated by an enzyme prior to ejaculation. These tubules are cut and tied during a vasectomy.

Testicles (Testes)

Testes are a large number of tightly packed coiled tubes. This is where sperm is produced. Sperm production takes about two months, but it's continuously produced. A typical male produces several hundred million each day. This sperm production process is called Spermatogenesis. The sperm that is not ejaculated is broken down and reabsorbed.

Testes also contain cells that secrete the male sex hormone testosterone. Spermatozoa are among the smallest and most highly specialized cells in the body. All the characteristics that a baby will inherit from it's father in fertilization are in the material found in each sperm head.

The nucleus is covered by a specialized enzyme coating that enable the sperm to break down the covering of the egg and permit entry if contact occurs. Each sperm has a mid piece and an elongated tail that helps the sperm swim in its competition to fertilize the egg.

Scrotum

The scrotum is a pouch like sac that hangs outside of the body cavity behind your penis. This location provides the correct temperature for the sperm to produce.


Other Parts of the Penis




Corona

The 'crown,' a ridge of flesh demarcating where the head of the penis and the shaft join.

Cowper's Glands

The Cowper's glands secrete a small amount ofpre-ejaculate fluid prior to orgasm. This fluid neutralizes the acidity within the urethra itself.

Cjaculatory Ducts

The path through the seminal glands which semen travels during ejaculation.

Foreskin

A roll of skin which covers the head of the penis in uncircumsized men.

Frenulum

A thin strip of flesh on the underside of the penis that connects the shaft to the head.

Glans

The glans is the head of the penis. The glans in uncircumcised men is usually covered by the prepuce. The glans is highly sensitive, as is the corona, the ridge of flesh that connects the glans to the shaft of the penis.

Prostate Gland

Prostate gland produces a fluid that makes up the semen. The prostate gland also squeezes shut the urethral duct to the bladder, thus preventing urine from mixing with the semen and disturbing the pH balance required by sperm.

Seminal Vesicles

The seminal vesicles produce semen, a fluid that activates and protects the sperm after it has left the penis during ejaculation

Smemga

A substance with the texture of cheese secreted by glands on each side of the frenulum in uncircumsized men.

Urethra

The opening at the tip of the penis to allow the passage of both urine and semen.