The main purpose of a penis is to transport urine from the bladder and semen out of the body. Here’s a guide to the visible parts of a guy’s anatomy!

Shaft
This runs between the head (glans) and the pubic bone. Inside this are three spongy pieces of tissue. When a guy is aroused, these fill with blood, giving him an erection.

Glans (head)
This is highly sensitive and contains over 4,000 nerve endings. With uncircumcised men, the glans is covered with the foreskin when he is not aroused. In circumcised men, the glans is always exposed.

The coronal ridge
Look for this at the base of the glans. It is highly sensitive to touch.

The frenulum
It is a V-shaped fold of tissue that runs up the coronal ridge from the shaft to the glans.

The urethral opening
This is the hole in the glans where both urine and ejaculation (semen) are released. The urethra is the tube that connect to the bladder.

The scrotum
This is the soft sac that houses the balls (testes). The sac hangs below the penis because its main function is to keep the testes at a temperature slightly lower than the rest of the body. That’s why when it is cold, your testicles want to get closer to your body to get warm and when it is hot, they hang as low and as far from the rest of your body as possible.

Testicles
These are full of nerves and produce testosterone and sperm. On some men, one testicle may hang lower than the other - it’s totally normal! They lie within two sacs in the scrotum.

The perineum
This is the area between the scrotum and anus. It is rich in nerve endings.

The anus
This is the opening to the rectum.

Getting to know your genitals is an important part of being a man and growing up. If there is anything worrying you visit a clinic and ask a professional’s advice. Don’t leave a worry unattended. Keeping your body is healthy is up to you.

(adapted from Dr Eve’s Sex Book: A Guide for Young People)