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High School Representation

Introduction

Males and females have different reproductive systems. The male reproductive system consists of the testes, penis and a system of tubules. The female reproductive system comprises of the uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina and the ovaries. Each part plays a significant role in human reproduction. Like all other parts of the body, the reproductive system also gets infected by various diseases such as chlamydia, HIV/AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis. These diseases affect both genders. Others such as cervical cancer and prostate cancer affect the female and male gender respectively. The analysis of various reproductive systems reveals the causes, symptoms, and treatment of syphilis.

The vagina, ovaries, uterus and the fallopian tubes make up the female reproductive system (Zelman, et al. 265). The vagina is a tube like structure that extends towards the rear and upwards towards the cervix. The cervix is at the lower end of the uterus. The uterine wall that responds to hormonal changes is known as the endometrium. The endometrium consists of a mucosal membrane that lines its smooth membrane. The fallopian tubes have open ends that receive released ova. The fimbriae are fingerlike projections on each end of the fallopian tubes. They guide the ova into the fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes also consist of ligaments that anchor the ovaries. The primary follicle, which is a layer of cells, surrounds each ovum. The vulva is the external genitalia, which consists of the mons pubis, clitoris, vaginal opening, the labia minora and the labia majora. The urinal meatus is in the middle of the vaginal opening and the clitoris. At puberty, the mons pubis, which consists of fat tissue, gets covered with hair. The labia minora and the labia majora are two folds that extend from the mons pubis towards the back. The clitoris is an erectile tissue situated at the frontal intersection of the minor lips. The Bartholin’s glands, found at the entrance of the vagina, are glands that secrete mucus. This mucus acts as a lubricant during sexual intercourse.

The male reproductive system comprises of a pair of testes, a system of tubules and the penis (Zelman, et al. 275). The testes produce hormones and sperms while the system of tubules act as a path for the sperms to get out of the testes. The penis is an organ that transports sperms into the female tract. The scrotum, situated outside the body wall, is a saclike structure. The testes contain the seminiferous tubules that enhance development of sperms. The sperms enter the epididymis after they reach some level of maturity. The epididymis is a coiled tube situated on the outer wall of the testis, and leads into the vas deferens. The vas deferens reaches the abdominal cavity through the inguinal canal, and joins the seminal vesicle at the bottom of the urinary bladder. The ejaculatory glands penetrate the prostate glands to reach the urethra. The bulbourethral glands discharge into the urethra as it goes to the penis. The penis consists of erectile tissue made of sinuses that become inflated blood when develops sexually excitement. The distal has an expanded end known as the glans penis. The glans has a loose skin covering called the foreskin or the prepuce. The removal of the skin takes place after circumcision.

Sexually transmitted infections are those spread through sexual contact. They affect the reproductive organs of male and female organs. Syphilis is among the sexually transmitted infections. Treponema pallidum is the spirochete bacterium that causes syphilis. Transmission of syphilis takes place through sexual contact and direct connection with a syphilis chancre. Transmission may also occur during childbirth. The appearance of symptoms takes ten to ninety days from the time of infection. At the initial stages, chancres appear where the bacteria entered the body. Chancres are painless wounds that last three to six weeks. They do not require any medication to heal. Lack of treatment of the disease enhances the progress of the infection to the secondary stage. At this stage, a skin rash with brown sores emerges three to six weeks after the appearance of the chancre. The rashes may appear all over the body including soles of feet and palms of the hands. Contact with broken skin of an individual with the disease leads to infection. Other symptoms include mild fever, sore throat, fatigue, patchy hair loss, headache and swollen lymph glands. Short term effects of the disease include damage of various parts of the body such as heart, bones, eyes, joints, brain and nervous system. It also lessens an individual’s sexual urge. Pregnant women may have miscarriages (Alexander, 174). Late syphilis may lead to mental illness, heart diseases neurological problems, blindness and death. It also causes infertility. Antibiotics help to kill the syphilis bacterium, but they do not repair damages already caused in the body. Penicillin kills the syphilis bacterium (Alters and Wendy, 486).

Conclusion

The human reproductive system differs among males and females. Female reproductive system consists of the fallopian tubes, vagina, ovaries and the uterus. The male reproductive system comprises of the penis, a system of tubules and the testes. These parts have other subparts that enhance reproduction. There are various infections that affect the genitals of both genders such as syphilis and HIV/ AIDS.

References

Alexander, Linda L. New Dimensions in Women’s Health. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett

Publishers, 2010. Print. Page 174.

Alters, Sandra, and Wendy Schiff. Essential Concepts for Healthy Living. Burlington, MA: Jones

& Bartlett Learning, 2013. Print. Page 486.

Zelman, Mark. Tompary, Elaine. Raymond, Jill. Holdaway, Paul and Mulvihil, Mary Lou.

Human Diseases: A Systemic Approach. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education, 2010. Print. Page 263-297.