The testicles

The testicles are 2 oval-shaped organs inside the scrotum. The scrotum is a pouch of skin behind the penis. The testicles hang below the penis. They are sometimes called the testes. They are the main part of the male reproductive system. Testicles produce sperm. Sperm can fertilise a female egg to make a baby.

The structure of the testicle 

Sperm travels from the collecting tubules inside the testicle to a coiled tube called the epididymis. The epididymis feels like a soft swelling at the back of the testicle. The tube becomes a wider tube called the vas deferens, which is part of the spermatic cord.

This then joins a shorter tube, called the ejaculatory duct (see below). The ejaculatory duct connects to a tube called the urethra, which goes from the bladder to the end of the penis.

Sperm mixes with fluid from the prostate and the seminal vesicles. These are glands that sit just under the bladder. The sperm and fluid are forced (ejaculated) along the urethra and out from the penis. The ejaculated fluid and sperm are called semen.

The male reproductive system

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