Reproductive System Essay

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The reproductive system is a system of sex organs in an individual that work together for the process of producing a new organism. Sexual reproduction is the process that produces the offspring by the recombination of the DNA of two individuals of different sexes. In the frame of reference of producing offspring, this system does four things: producing egg and sperm cells; transporting and sustaining these cells; taking care of the maturing fetus; and producing hormones. There are organs that these functions are separated into by the categories, primary and secondary, or accessory, reproductive organs. The primary organs, also known as gonads, are the testes and ovaries. These gonads develop egg and sperm cell gametes, and hormones. The hormones that are produced help the reproductive system mature, help create sexual characteristics, and help keep under the control the regular functions of the reproductive system. The secondary, or accessory, reproductive organs are all the other organs, glands, and ducts. The organs in this category mainly transport and support the gametes or sex cells and help take care of the developing offspring. The female reproductive system is made up of the female sex cells, vagina, labia, clitoris, urethra, hymen, uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, estrogen, and progesterone. The female sex cells or gametes are the egg cells or ovum. “Sex cells are formed from special body cells that are typically located in sex organs.”(Learner, 2014). For females, the gametes are produced in the ovaries. For the offspring to look like the parents, the offspring’s first cell must have all the genome of its two parents. A genome is an organism’s complete set of genes. The body cells, also called somatic cells, make-up most of the body’s tissues and organs. The DNA in these cells doesn’t get passed down into the offspring. On

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