Sex organ
A
sex organ, or
primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those anatomical 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 a complex organism; namely:
*
Male:
penis (notably the
glans penis),
prepuce,
testicles,
scrotum,
prostate,
seminal vesicles,
epididymis,
Cowper's glands
*
Female:
vulva (notably the
clitoris and
labia),
vagina,
cervix,
uterus,
Fallopian tubes,
ovaries,
Skene's glands,
Bartholin's glands.
More generally and popularly, the term "sex organ" refers to any part of the body involved in their and/or their partner's erotic pleasure. The larger list would certainly include the
anus for either sex, the
prepuce, the
breasts (especially the
nipples) for females, and the
nipples for males.
The
Latin term
genitalia, sometimes anglicized as
genitals, 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, known as
primary genitalia or
external genitalia: in males the
penis and
scrotum, in females the
vulva.
The other sex organs are called the
secondary genitalia or
internal genitalia. An even wider notion, subjective but always prominently including the genitalia, is
erogenous zones.
A
gonad is a sex organ that produces
gametes, specifically the
testes or
ovaries in humans.
Organs of sexual anatomy originate from a common
anlage and differentiate into male or female sex organs. The
SRY gene, usually located on the
Y chromosome and encoding the
testis determining factor, decides the direction of this differentiation. Each sexual organ in one sex has a
homologous counterpart in the other one. See a
list of homologues of the human reproductive system.
The following is a list of anatomical terms related to sex and sexuality:
*
areola*
Bartholin's gland bulbocavernosus muscle bulbourethral gland*
cervix common penile artery corpora cavernosa corpus spongiosum cremaster muscle*
dartos muscle --
ductus deferens*
ejaculatory duct epididymis*
Fallopian tube frenulum frenulum labiorum pudendi frenum --
fundiform ligament*
G-spot genital tubercle glans Gräfenberg spot*
hymen*
internal pudendal artery --
ischiocavernosus muscle*
labium labia minora*
mammae meatus Mullerian duct*
nipple*
ovary oviducts*
penis prepuce pubic hair pubococcygeus muscle --
pudendal nerve*
raphe --
ridged band*
scrotum semeniferous tubules sperm sphincter urethrae membranaceae --
splanchnic nerves*
testes tunica albuginea*
urethra urogenital diaphragm --
uterus*
vas deferens vesiculae seminales vulva*
Wolffian duct*
Castration*
Circumcision*
Genital modification and mutilation*
Human sexuality*
Hysterectomy*
Intersexuality*
Intimate parts
*
List of transgender-related topics*
Mastectomy*
Obstetrics and gynecology*
Oophorectomy*
Secondary sex characteristics
*
Sex*
Sexual behavior
