Sex organ: Difference between revisions

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			German, meaning sausage.
	{{Mergeto\|Reproductive system\|Talk:Reproductive system#Merge Sex organ to this article\|date=September 2008}}

	{{Unreferenced\|date=June 2007}}

	A '''sex organ''', or '''primary sexual characteristic''', as narrowly defined, is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the ] in a complex organism; in mammals, these include:

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	The ] term '''genitalia''', sometimes anglicized as '''genitals''' and '''genital area''', is used to describe the externally visible ] organs, known as '''primary genitalia''' or '''external genitalia''': in males the ], in females the ] and ].

	The other, hidden sex organs are referred to as the '''secondary genitalia''' or '''internal genitalia'''. The most important of these are the ]s, a pair of sex organs, specifically the ] in the male or the ] in the female. Gonads are the true sex organs, generating reproductive ]s containing inheritable DNA. They also produce most of the primary hormones that affect sexual development, and regulate other sexual organs and sexually differentiated behaviors.

	A more ambiguously defined term is ], subjectively, any portion of the body that when stimulated produces ] sensation, but always prominently including the genitalia.

	==Development==
	{{Main\|Development of the reproductive system}}
	In typical ], sexual organs originate from a common ] anatomy during early ] and differentiate into male or female variations. The ] ], usually located on the ] and encoding the ], determines the direction of this differentiation. The absence of it allows the gonads to continue to develop into ovaries.

	Thereafter, the development of the ] and the ] is determined by hormones produced by certain fetal gonads (ovaries or testes) and the cells' response to them. The initial appearance of the ] (a few weeks after conception) looks basically feminine: a pair of "]" with a small protuberance in the middle, and the ] behind the protuberance. If the fetus has testes, and if the testes produce testosterone, and if the cells of the genitals respond to the testosterone, the outer urogenital folds swell and fuse in the midline to produce the scrotum; the protuberance grows larger and straighter to form the penis; the inner urogenital swellings grow, wrap around the penis, and fuse in the midline to form the penile urethra.

	Each sexual organ in one sex has a ] counterpart in the other one. See a ].

	In a larger perspective, the whole process of ] also includes development of ] such as patterns of pubic and facial hair and female breasts that emerge at puberty. Furthermore, differences in brain structure arises, affecting, but not absolutely determining, behavior.

	==Anatomical terms related to sex==
	The following is a list of anatomical terms related to sex and sexuality:
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	==See also==
	<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
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	{{human anatomical features}}
	{{Organ systems}}



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Revision as of 09:34, 14 August 2009

German, meaning sausage.