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A sex organ or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely:
- Male: penis (including the foreskin), testicles, prostate, seminal vesicles, epididymis, Cowper's glands, Prostate
- Female: vulva (notably the clitoris and its covering the clitoral hood), vagina (notably the cervix), uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, Skene's glands, Bartholin's glands.
More generally and popularly, sex organs are those parts of the body involved in erotic pleasure. The larger list would certainly include the anus for either sex, the breasts (especially the nipples) for females, and possibly the nipples for males.
The Latin term genitalia is used to describe the sex organs, and in the English language this term and genital area are most often used to describe the externally visible sex organs or external genitalia: in males the penis and scrotum, in females the vulva. The other parts of the sex organs are called the internal genitalia.
A gonad is an organ that produces gametes, specifically the testes or ovaries in humans.
The human sex organs are as follows.
Many parts of human sexual anatomy are homologous between the sexes: for example:
- Bartholin's glands in females are homologous to Cowper's glands in males.
- Skene's glands in females are homologous to the prostate gland in males.
- the clitoral hood in females is homologous to the foreskin in males (they are both known anatomically as the prepuce).
This is a fuller list of anatomical terms related to sex and sexuality:
- anus -- areola
- Bartholin's gland -- breast -- bulbocavernosus muscle -- bulbospongiosus muscle -- bulbourethral gland --
- cervix -- clitoris -- common penile artery -- corona glandis -- corpora cavernosa -- corpus cavernosum -- corpus spongiosum -- Cowper's glands-- cremaster muscle --
- dartos muscle -- ductus deferens --
- ejaculatory duct -- endometrium -- epididymis --
- foreskin -- frenulum -- frenulum preputii penis -- frenulum labiorum pudendi -- frenulum clitoridis -- frenum -- fundiform ligament --
- G-spot -- Gartner's duct -- genital tubercle -- genitofemoral nerve -- glans -- glans penis -- Gräfenberg spot --
- hymen --
- internal pudendal artery -- ischiocavernosus muscle--
- labia -- labia majora -- labia minora --
- mammae -- mammary gland -- meatus -- mons veneris -- Mullerian duct --
- nipple
- ovary -- ovum --
- penis -- penile suspensory ligament -- perineum -- prepuce -- prostate -- pubic hair -- pubic symphysis -- pubococcygeus muscle -- pudendal nerve --
- rectum -- Ridged band --
- scrotum -- seminal vesicles -- semeniferous tubules -- Skene's glands -- sperm -- spermatic cord -- sphincter urethrae membranaceae -- splanchnic nerves --
- testes -- testicle -- tunica albuginea --
- urethra -- urethral sponge -- urogenital diaphragm -- uterus --
- vas deferens -- vagina -- vesiculae seminales -- vomeronasal organ -- vulva --
- Wolffian duct
See also:
sex, human sexuality, sexual behavior, Obstetrics and gynecology, castration, intersex, transgender, intimate parts, secondary sex characteristics, genital mutilation