The seminiferous tubules and developing spermatozoa within them are temperature-sensitive; they cannot tolerate high temperatures—including the temperature of the human body. In order to manage this, the testes are located outside of the human body in a sac of skin called the scrotum. This lowers the temperature of the seminiferous tubules to optimal levels. 

Spermatogenesis—the formation of spermatozoa—occurs in the seminiferous tubules of the testes. Seminiferous tubules are composed of Sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells. There is a high concentration of testosterone present in these tubules. High testosterone concentrations support sperm development. The epididymis is the site of sperm maturation. Last, the seminal vesicles are small glands that produce the majority of the seminal fluid. 

Sertoli cells are located in the seminiferous tubules and aid in spermiogenesis. There are many ways that Sertoli cells facilitate the process of sperm maturation including the following: the contribution of testicular fluid, phagocytosis of excess cytoplasm, and the protection of sperm from the immune system. Leydig cells—interstitial cells—are responsible for secretion of testosterone.

Oogonia are diploid germ line cells that are precursor ova cells. They are produced during a process called oocytogenesis before and sometimes shortly after birth; there are believed to be a finite number of oogonia in each female at the time of birth.

Primary oocytes are diploid germ line cells that form from oogonia. Primary oocytes are immature ova. In order to develop further, primary oocytes enter into ootidogenesis, or meiosis to produce secondary oocytes. This process is arrested at prophase I late in fetal development. The period of arrest during ootidogenesis is called the dictyate stage and is characterized by a lack of cellular translation. This arrest is caused by blocked mRNA binding sites, which prevents translation initiation factors from binding. The dictyate stage ends before puberty by an increase in the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH). 

Ootidogenesis is the production of secondary ooctyes from primary ooctyes through meiosis. Ootidogenesis features two periods of developmental arrest—dictyate—during the prophase I stage of meiosis I and during metaphase II of meiosis II. The dictyate stage of arrest ends at the onset of puberty due to a spike in luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. Ootidogenesis then continues until the second arrest period during metaphase II. This period ends at fertilization and allows the completion of ootidogenesis.

Secondary oocytes are haploid cells that are produced by primary oocytes through meiosis in a process called ootidogenesis. Secondary oocytes remain arrested in the metaphase II stage of meiosis until fertilization, when ootidogenesis is completed. The process of ootidogenesis also produces polar bodies.

Polar bodies are haploid cells produced during ootidogenesis. They are smaller than secondary oocytes due to asymmetric cell division. During asymmetrical cell division a smaller volume of cytoplasm is partitioned into the polar bodies than to the secondary oocytes. This makes polar bodies not viable for fertilization. Polar bodies are often degraded, but they can also remain in the human body.

Oogenesis, or the formation of egg cells, takes place in the ovaries. Specifically, oogenesis takes place in the follicles—a pack of cells surrounding developing oocytes that is located within the ovaries.

Follicles are packs of somatic cells that surround developing oocytes in the ovaries. Follicles develop through a process called folliculogenesis that occurs in tandem with oogenesis. At birth, women have all of their follicles; however, this number decreases as women age due to double stranded breaks in the DNA of primary oocytes contained within primordial follicles.