The gubernaculum is a fold of peritoneum which attaches to the caudal end of the testes. As the scrotum forms, the gubernaculum causes the descent of the testes through the inguinal canal. In higher vertebrates, the peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity - it covers most of the intra-abdominal organs. ... Human male anatomy The testicles, known medically as testes (singular testis), are the male generative glands in animals. ... The scrotum (human variant shown) is a thin extension of the abdomen that contains the testes and helps regulate their temperature. ... The inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior abdominal wall which in men conveys the spermatic cord and in woman the round ligament. ...
As the scrotum develops, the main portion of the lower end of the gubernaculum is carried, with the skin to which it is attached, to the bottom of this pouch; other bands are carried to the medial side of the thigh and to the perineum.
The gubernaculum in the female lies in contact with the fundus of the uterus and contracts adhesions to this organ, and thus the ovary is prevented from descending below this level.
In rare cases the gubernaculum may fail to contract adhesions to the uterus, and then the ovary descends through the inguinal canal into the labium majus, and under these circumstances its position resembles that of the testis.
As the gubernaculum "pulls" the testes into the pelvis and developing inguinal canal, it is preceeded by the processus vaginalis, derived from the peritoneum which lies anterior to the testes.
After the testes are in position in the scrotum, the gubernaculum persists as the scrotal ligament, while part of the processus vaginalis remains as a bursa-like sac called the tunica vaginalis testis.
The scrotal ligament is the male remnant of the gubernaculum.
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