The ducts join together to form about twelve larger collecting tubules, which then join to form a tube which lies coiled and twisted alongside the testis and reaches to the vas deferens. The coiled tube is called the epididymis. If it is uncoiled it is nearly 6 metres (20 feet) long. If a man has regular sexual stimulation and ejaculates, the spermatozoa move quite quickly along the epididymis, taking from 2 to 21 days for the journey, but if he does not, they can live in the epididymis for about 70 days. The more frequently a man ejaculates the more quickly the spermatozoa pass along the epididymis.
The end of the epididymis joins the vas deferens. As I mentioned earlier, you can identify the vas deferens if you put your thumb and forefinger on each side of the scrotum where it reaches the crutch, and then roll the tissues between your fingers. The vas reaches from the end of the epididymis, up through the scrotum, and enters the abdomen through a weakened oval area just above the pubic bone on each side – called the inguinal canal. Inside the abdomen it lies close to the prostate gland, where it joins the vas from the other side. Together they enter the urethra, the tube which extends from the bladder to the eye of the penis.
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