Pathway of sperm
The testes are where sperm is manufactured. The epididymis is a long coiled structure topping the testis, and it receives immature sperm from the testis and stores them as they mature. When ejaculation occurs, sperm are forcefully expelled from the tail of the epididymis into the vas deferens. Sperm then travel through the vas deferens through up the spermatic cord into the pelvic cavity, over the ureter to the prostate behind the bladder. Here, the vas deferens joins with the seminal vesicle to form the ejaculatory duct, which passes through the prostate and empties into the urethra. When ejaculation occurs, rhythmic muscle movements propel the sperm forward.
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
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