A
Abstinence: The practice of not engaging in any type of sexual
activity with another person.
B
Birth Control pill: A type of contraception taken by mouth every day
that releases hormones into a female’s bloodstream. The hormones inside the pill trick her body into not releasing an egg. Used correctly, birth control pills are 99.8% effective at preventing pregnancy.
C
Cervix: Serves to divide the vagina from the uterus in the
female’s body.
Contraception: A method used to prevent pregnancy.
Cowper’s gland: This gland creates pre-ejaculate fluid. Urine kills
sperm cells, so this fluid serves as a means of flushing out any urine that may still be present in the urethra before ejaculation occurs. This way, no sperm cells will die as they exit the man’s body and enter the woman’s body through the vagina.
E
Embryo: An egg that has been fertilized by a sperm cell will
eventually develop into a baby.
Ejaculation: The involuntary process that expels semen, which
contains sperm cells, from the man’s penis during sexual intercourse.
F
Fallopian tubes: Tubes that transport an egg from one of the two
ovaries to the uterus.
H
Hormones:
Sex hormones trigger actions among the reproductive
system, such as the release of a female’s egg from her ovaries and the production of sperm cells in a male’s testicles to name a few. Hormones also contribute to sexual arousal and excitement, causing the body to desire sexual contact and intercourse.
O
Ovary: Found in the female, this organ stores her supply of
eggs.
P
Pre-ejaculate fluid:
A clear fluid that cleans out any urine that may be
present in the urethra. Pre-ejaculate fluid contains sperm cells.
Prostate gland: Produces semen to be mixed with sperm cells during
ejaculation.
S
Scrotum:
The skin that covers and protects a man’s testicles. The scrotum regulates temperatures in the man’s testicles in order to prevent any sperm cells from being damaged by temperatures too hot and too cold.
Semen: A liquid mixture of sperm cells and nutrients that is
ejaculated from the man’s body during sexual intercourse.
T
Testicles:
Produce sperm cells.
U
Urethra:
Tube inside the penis that transports urine and
semen out of the body.
Uterus: The female reproductive organ that contains a baby
during pregnancy. It is the strongest muscle in the human body. Otherwise known as the “womb.”
V
Vagina:
The female reproductive organ that receives the
penis during sexual intercourse. It becomes part of the birth canal when a mother goes into labor and eventually gives natural birth to her child.
Vas deferens: Tubes that transport sperm cells from the testicles
through the prostate gland, where they mix with semen.
W
Withdrawal method:
An ineffective method used by some couples in order
to prevent a pregnancy from occurring. A man, who is not wearing a condom, pulls his penis out of the woman’s vagina before he ejaculates. Every 1 out of 3 unintended pregnancies is caused by the withdrawal method.
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