Testes
About the Testes
The testes are paired oval organs in the scrotum, outside the body cavity for optimal temperature 2 to 3 degrees below body temperature. They produce sperm and testosterone. Each testis is divided into hundreds of lobules packed with highly coiled seminiferous tubules, where spermatogenesis takes roughly two and a half months from stem cell to mature sperm and produces millions of sperm every day. Sertoli cells support and nourish developing sperm. Leydig cells between tubules produce testosterone. Sperm mature in the epididymis and travel through the vas deferens during ejaculation. Testosterone drives male secondary sexual characteristics, libido, muscle mass, and red blood cell production. Cryptorchidism undescended testis increases cancer risk and causes infertility if bilateral.
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