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The epididymis (plural: epididymides, ) is part of the male
Malé

Mal? , population 104,403 , is the Capital , the largest city in terms of population, and the name of an island in the Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Male' Atoll Kaafu Atoll....
 reproductive system
Reproductive system

The reproductive system is a system of Organ within an organism which work together for the purpose of reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are also important accessories to the reproductive system....
 and is present in all male mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s. It is a narrow, tightly-coiled tube connecting the efferent ducts
Efferent ducts

The efferent ducts connect the rete testis with the initial section of the epididymis.There are two basic designs for efferent ductule structure:...
 from the rear of each testicle
Testicle

The testicle is the male gonad in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.The etymology of the word is somewhat colorfully based on Roman law....
 to its vas deferens
Vas deferens

The vas deferens , also called ductus deferens, is part of the male anatomy of some species; they transport sperm from the epididymis in anticipation of ejaculation....
.

epididymis can be divided into three main regions

matozoa formed in the testis enter the caput epididymis, progress to the corpus, and finally reach the cauda region, where they are stored.






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The epididymis (plural: epididymides, ) is part of the male
Malé

Mal? , population 104,403 , is the Capital , the largest city in terms of population, and the name of an island in the Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Male' Atoll Kaafu Atoll....
 reproductive system
Reproductive system

The reproductive system is a system of Organ within an organism which work together for the purpose of reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are also important accessories to the reproductive system....
 and is present in all male mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s. It is a narrow, tightly-coiled tube connecting the efferent ducts
Efferent ducts

The efferent ducts connect the rete testis with the initial section of the epididymis.There are two basic designs for efferent ductule structure:...
 from the rear of each testicle
Testicle

The testicle is the male gonad in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.The etymology of the word is somewhat colorfully based on Roman law....
 to its vas deferens
Vas deferens

The vas deferens , also called ductus deferens, is part of the male anatomy of some species; they transport sperm from the epididymis in anticipation of ejaculation....
.

Regions

The epididymis can be divided into three main regions
  • The head (Caput)
  • The body (Corpus)
  • The tail (Cauda)


Role in storage of sperm and ejaculation

Spermatozoa formed in the testis enter the caput epididymis, progress to the corpus, and finally reach the cauda region, where they are stored. Sperm entering the caput epididymis are incomplete - they lack the ability to swim forward (motility
Motility

Motility is a biology term which refers to the ability to move spontaneously and actively, consuming energy in the process. It can apply to either single-celled or multicellular organisms....
) and to fertilize an egg. During their transit in the epididymis, sperm undergo maturation processes necessary for them to acquire these functions. Final maturation is completed in the female
Female

Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces mobile ovum . The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male....
 reproductive tract (capacitation
Capacitation

Capacitation is the penultimate step in the maturation of Mammal Spermatozoon and is required to render them competent to Fertilization an oocyte....
).

During ejaculation
Ejaculation

Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the penis, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the result of sexual stimulation. Rarely, it is due to prostatic disease....
, sperm flow from the lower portion of the epididymis (which functions as a storage reservoir). They have not been activated by products from the prostate gland, and they are unable to swim, but are transported via the peristaltic
Peristalsis

Peristalsis is the rhythmic contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract. The word is derived from New Latin and comes from the Greek language peristaltikos, peristaltic, from peristellein, "to wrap around," and stellein, "to place."...
 action of muscle
MUSCLE

MUSCLE is public domain, multiple sequence alignment software for protein and nucleotide sequences.MUSCLE is integrated into UGENE bioinformatics tool as a plugin....
 layers within the vas deferens
Vas deferens

The vas deferens , also called ductus deferens, is part of the male anatomy of some species; they transport sperm from the epididymis in anticipation of ejaculation....
, and are mixed with the diluting fluids of the seminal vesicle
Seminal vesicle

The seminal vesicles are a pair of simple tubular glands posteroinferior to the urinary bladder of males....
s and other accessory glands prior to ejaculation (forming semen
Semen

Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoon....
).

The epididymis possesses numerous, long atypical microvilli. These processes are often called stereocillia. This is incorrect as they neither contain the microtubular structures of cilia, nor do they function like cilia.

Pathology

An inflammation of the epididymis is called epididymitis
Epididymitis

Epididymitis is a medicine condition in which there is inflammation of the epididymis . This condition may be mildly to very painful, and the scrotum may become red, warm and swollen....
.

Embryology and vestigial structures

A Gartner's duct
Gartner's duct

Gartner's duct is a potential embryological remnant in human female development of the mesonephric ducts in the development of the urinary and reproductive organs....
 is a homologous
Homology (biology)

In evolutionary biology, homology refers to any similarity between characteristics that is due to their common descent. The word homologous derives from the ancient Greek ??????e??, 'to agree'....
 remnant in the female.

In the embryo
Embryo

An embryo is a multicellular organism ploidy eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, Egg , or germination....
, the epididymis develops from tissue that once formed the mesonephros
Mesonephros

The mesonephros is one of three excretory system that develop in vertebrates. It serves as the main excretory organ of aquatic vertebrates and as a temporary kidney in higher vertebrates....
, a primitive kidney
Kidney

The kidneys are Organ that have numerous biological roles. Their primary role is to maintain the homeostasis balance of bodily fluids by filtering and secreting Metabolomics#Metabolitess and minerals from the blood and excreting them, along with water , as urine....
 found in many aquatic vertebrates. Persistence of the cranial end of the mesonephric duct will leave behind a remnant called the appendix of the epididymis
Appendix of the epididymis

On the head of the epididymis is a small stalked appendage . It is named the appendix of the epididymis , and is usually regarded as a detached Efferent ducts....
. In addition, some mesonephric tubules can persist as the paradidymis, a small body caudal to the efferent ductules
Efferent ducts

The efferent ducts connect the rete testis with the initial section of the epididymis.There are two basic designs for efferent ductule structure:...
.

Epididymectomy

This is the surgical removal of the Epididymis carried out under local anaesthesia. This is most often perfomed to relieve pain associated post-Vasectomy
Vasectomy

Vasectomy is a surgical procedure in which the vas deferens of a man are cut for the purpose of Sterilization ....
.

Additional images


External links