The penis and testicles

The penis is partly inside and partly outside the body. It’s made up of several types of tissue. These include skin, muscle, blood vessels and nerves. Inside the penis lies the urethra. Urine and semen flow through this tube and eventually pass out of the small slit at the end of the penis (the meatus).

The end of the penis is also known as the ‘head of the penis’ or ‘glans’. It is normally covered by a piece of skin called the foreskin or prepuce. But some men may have had the foreskin removed during an operation called a circumcision. This operation is usually done at birth but may be done later in life.

For most men the ridge below the head of the penis (the frenulum) is the most sensitive part of their penis. The scrotum is the pouch of skin that hangs below the penis and holds both testicles (testes). The testicles are part of the male reproductive system. From the age of puberty the testicles produce sperm, which can fertilise a female egg. The testicles produce the male sex hormone, testosterone.