Your Body: The Missing Manual

Chapter 10. Sex and Reproduction

Down below, not far from the place where digestive waste exits your body, are some organs we’re even more embarrassed about. This is a bit odd, because we all have these body parts, and most of us like what we do with them. Still, it’s easier to convince people to engage in a 20-minute discussion about the finer points of intestinal gas than to get them to talk frankly about their sexual organs.

There was a time, not so long ago, when sex was a bit of a mystery. Now we have call-in health shows, how-to sex videos, and the Internet. But despite all the attention we pay to sex, most of us remain unaware of some key facts about how our reproductive hardware works—whether it’s our own body parts or the sexual organs of the opposite sex.

In this chapter, you’ll have a good scientific excuse to spend some time thinking about reproduction (and we aren’t talking fake Picassos). You’ll learn everything you need to know about the baby-making parts of both genders, from the fabled G-spot to the oft-feared vasectomy. You’ll also find out what really takes place during sex, and how you can give yourself the best shot at copulatory bliss.

Male Sex Organs

Throughout this book, you’ve looked at the human body as a single entity shared by people old and young, male and female. Here’s where the path diverges.

If you have any giggles, get them out now—we’re about to take you back to high school health class.

What’s on the Outside

Of the two sexes, men have the most obvious ...