Sperm production (human)

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Sperm production — a.k.a., spermatogenesis[1] — occurs in men as a continuous process from puberty to old age, involving several portions of the male reproductive system. Spermatozoa (plural of spermatozoon, a single sperm cell) that can fertilize ova and give rise to embryos begin as cells with very different characterstics, undergoing a process of several stages over a period of 74 days before reaching maturity. This article summarizes that process.

spermatogonia

secondary spermatocyte

spermatid

spermatozoa

fully functional spermatozoa

Epididymis

  1. spermatogenesis Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 17 Feb. 2009.