Sperm are formed through the process of spermatogenesis. It is a series of continuous divisions and cell evolutions whose final result is the sperm. It consists of three phases: proliferative, meiotic and spermiogenesis.
The proliferative phase consists of the spermatogonia (stem cells) giving rise to more spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes.
The next phase is meiotic, which consists of reducing the genetic material of cells by half to give rise to gametes. Meiosis can be divided into two sub-stages:
- Meioisis I
- two haploid secondary spermatocytes arise from each primary spermatocyte.
- Meioisis II
- two spermatids are formed from each secondary spermatocyte. In total, from each primary spermatocyte (diploid), four spermatids (haploid) are obtained.
Finally, the spermatids will differentiate into spermatozoa through the process of spermiogenesis.
Read the full article on: How are spermatozoa formed? – Phases of spermatogenesis ( 46).
By Manuel Aparicio Caballero M.D., M.Sc. (gynecologist), Marta Barranquero Gómez B.Sc., M.Sc. (embryologist), Rebeca Reus BSc, MSc (embryologist) and Cristina Algarra Goosman B.Sc., M.Sc. (psychologist).
Last Update: 03/15/2022
