The testicles, also called testes or gonads, are the male
fertility organs. They are located in a pouch of skin called a scrotum,
which dangles from its location behind the penis. Testicles produce male
hormones, including the one most widely recognized—testosterone. They
also produce spermatozoa, commonly known as “sperm,” the male
seed required to fertilize the female egg for reproduction of the species.
Testicles are formed in the abdomen of a male child before he is born.
Shortly before or after birth they move down through a special canal called the
inguinal canal and into the scrotum. The normal process is for the
inguinal canal to seal itself after the descencion. If for some reason this
does not occur, tissue from the abdomen gets caught in it, creating an inguinal
hernia. Fortunately, hernias are easily corrected.
Sometimes the testicles get trapped in the canal or do not come out of the
abdomen at all. This situation is called cryptorchidism. The name comes
from the Greek word “kryptos,” which means “hidden,” and the Greek word
“orchis,’ which means “testicle.” Most cryptorchid testicles descend on their
own accord during the baby’s first year. When they do not, they can be brought
out with surgery (orchiopexy).
In the adult male, the testes are approximately an inch across and an inch
in depth. The scrotum protects the one and one-half ounces a piece testicles
and keeps them at the proper temperature for sperm production, slightly beneath
the 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) normal body temperature.
The scrotum sac is attached to the perineum, the area between the
base of the penis and the anus. When exposed to a colder atmosphere, they are
drawn up toward the body by the cremasteric muscle. They will relax back
down as they warm up.
Cells within the testes called spermatogonia produce the immature
sperm. These freshly created sperm then travel through a system called the rete
testes, which leads them to the efferent ducts, where they exit the
testicle. This process takes several weeks, during which time the little
up-and-coming sperm are maturing.