Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T22:39:17.727Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 6 - The epididymis and accessory sex organs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2010

Larry I. Lipshultz
Affiliation:
Baylor College of Medicine
Stuart S. Howards
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Craig S. Niederberger
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Chicago
Get access

Summary

The mesonephric duct becomes the epididymis and vas deferens, and the residual mesonephric tubules form the efferent ducts. Non-pathological specimens of men within their reproductive years are understandably difficult to obtain, and even when such epididymides are made available, they often lack the proper preservation for good biological studies. It is well established that mammalian sperm, in general, mature in the epididymis, and the changes that occur in sperm during maturation have been recently reviewed. The propelling forces for sperm transport through the epididymis are: hydrostatic pressure from fluid secretion in the testis, and peristaltic contractions of the tubule. The bulbourethral glands are encased in the urogenital diaphragm. The bulbourethral gland secretion forms the first part of the ejaculate, or the pre-ejaculate, and serves to flush the tract with a buffered lubricant prior to the transport of sperm.
Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×