Owner’s Manual: What's actually below your belly button
The Outside
The Sac (The Scrotum):
The scrotum is the “sac” of skin that covers and protects the testicles (“balls”). Its job is to help keep the testicles about 5 degrees below body temperature. That is why if you get too hot, your scrotum drops away from your body and when you are cold, your scrotum pulls up closer to your body.
The Balls (The Testicles):
The testicles are about the size of golf balls and you have two of them. While you can see them on the outside, they also are included with the information about the inside. Sperm is produced in the testicles from the time you enter puberty until the day you die. The testicles are tough, but it is important to protect them especially if you play sports such as soccer, football, baseball, or wrestling. If you do play sports make sure that you buy a “cup,” otherwise known as a protective device. These can be bought at almost any store that carries sporting goods. You should check your testicles every month for any changes such as lumps, bumps, or pain. Click here to learn how to do a testicular exam.
The Penis:
The penis has many tasks. You urinate (pee) with it and it can be used during sexual activity. The penis fills with blood during an erection and becomes really hard: sort of think about how heavy a sponge gets as it soaks up water.
The Inside
The Epididymus:
If you looked under a microscope, the epididymus looks a little like tightly clustered noodles. This is where sperm move to from the testicles and mature. Here they learn to swim and stay here until it is time for ejaculation.
The Vas Deferens:
The vas deferens is a small tube that comes off the epididymus. The sperm travels through these tubes on the way out for ejaculation. The tubes go from the epididymus all the way to the seminal vesicles.
The Seminal Vesicles:
The seminal vesicles are where sperm picks up fluid called seminal fluid. This helps the sperm have an easier time swimming and also some nourishment along the way. Seminal fluid makes up the majority of the liquid called semen that comes out during ejaculation.
The Prostate Gland:
The prostate gland releases more fluid that helps the sperm move even more.
The Cowper’s gland:
The Cowper’s gland releases fluid that helps keep seminal fluid sticky and gives it the white color when it dries. It is also what helps make up pre-ejaculate (pre-cum) to help lubricate the urethra before complete ejaculation.
The Urethra:
The urethra carries the seminal fluid out of the tip of the penis. When you go to the bathroom to urinate (pee) this is where it comes out of as well.
For more information, click here for interactive diagrams.
