Library · Anatomy
Reproductive system
Make it clearer
The reproductive system is organized on two levels, and telling them apart clears up most of the picture.
On the first level are the primary reproductive organs, the ones called gonads: the ovaries and the testes. They are the primary ones, the center that the rest of the system is arranged around.
On the second level is everything else, and that is not a short list. The other organs, the ducts, and the glands of the system are considered secondary, or accessory. Accessory does not mean expendable. It means that their part is to accompany the gonads and make their work possible.
The female system shows that division clearly. The organs of the female system produce and sustain the egg cells, which are the female sex cells; they carry those cells to the place where a sperm cell may fertilize them; and then they provide a favorable environment for the developing fetus. Each stop along that route has something in charge of it.
In brief
The reproductive system is organized on two levels: the primary reproductive organs, called gonads, are the ovaries and the testes.
All other organs, ducts, and glands in the system are considered secondary, or accessory, reproductive organs.
In the female system, for instance, the ovaries and their accessory organs together produce and sustain the egg cells, transport them to a site where sperm may fertilize them, and provide a favorable environment for the developing fetus.
Sources (2)
- National Cancer InstituteIntroduction to the Reproductive System. SEER Training Modules
- National Cancer InstituteFemale Reproductive System. SEER Training Modules
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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