Male accessory glands secrete substances that protect the gametes and facilitate their movement.
1. Seminal vesicles:
These small pouches on the back of the urinary bladder release an alkaline fluid, making up around 60% of semen. This fluid, with fructose for energy, fibrinogen for coagulation, and prostaglandins for sperm movement, helps propel semen into the vagina after ejaculation, assisting sperm on their journey to the egg.
2. Prostate gland:
The prostate gland, with 20 to 30 lobes beneath the urinary bladder and around the urethra, releases a milky, alkaline prostatic fluid into the urethra, constituting about 30% of semen volume. This fluid, containing citric acid and protective enzymes like acid phosphatase, shields sperm from the acidic vaginal environment.
3. Cowper’s glands:
Bulbourethral glands, also known as Cowper’s glands, are small structures on either side of the membranous urethra. During copulation, they secrete a lubricating viscous, alkaline fluid. Semen: The male reproductive system ejects a milky, alkaline fluid with a pH of 7.2 to 7.7. In one release, about 2.5 to 4.0 ml of semen containing around 400 million sperms is produced. Semen includes secretions from the epididymis and accessory glands, providing nourishment (fructose), neutralizing acidity (Ca++, bicarbonates), and promoting movement (prostaglandins).