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The Urethra

In women, it is a short organ in which most of the continence mechanism resides. This is the urinary sphincter, which is essentially a muscle that surrounds the urethral lining. It is closed most of the time but relaxes to allow the passage of urine. Defects in the female urethra can result in incontinence, the formation of a diverticulum and susceptibility to infection. The male urethra is enclosed within the penis, after having passed through the prostate and the external sphincter. It obviously also serves a sexual function in men as it is the passage through which the semen is ejaculated.

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Articles of Interest

Anatomy lessons: Gilbert & George's urethra art - video

'Everyone in the world has a urethra, but very few people know the name and even fewer can spell it' ...

Female Urethra Stretching - Don't Do It

Medicine has quite a history of crazy, outdated medical practices. Bloodletting, animal dung ointments and sleeping with human skulls were once considered “modern medicine”. Yikes. Not far behind these practices is female urethra stretching (also known as urethral dilation). What’s scarier about female urethra stretching compared to bloodletting and animal poop ointments, is the fact that there are still doctors offering this therapy.

Getting to Know Your Urethra

Imagine a funnel with a wide cone at the top leading to a slim tube at the bottom. The tube’s purpose is to guide liquid from the cone into a small opening. The urethra looks and functions the same way. Since it’s connected to the bladder, the tube acts as a passageway for urine to exit your body. But unlike funnels, your urethra has sphincter muscles that allow you to stop the flow of urine.

Male Urethra

The male urethra is unique because it is a relatively long structure that passes through several compartments in the body and therefore, receives blood supply and innervation from a broad array of sources. The male urethra receives blood supply from the inferior vesical artery, bulbourethral artery, and the internal pudendal artery. The sympathetic, parasympathetic and visceral innervation to the male urethra gets delivered through the prostatic plexus.

The Urethra

In males, the urethra, which normally opens on the head of the penis, is also the conduit for semen during sexual intercourse. In females, the urethra is shorter and emerges above the vaginal opening. The female urethra is about 4 cm in length. The male urethra is about 20-25cm in length.

Urethral sounding: why some people find it pleasurable to insert objects into their urinary tube

Some people find it sexually pleasurable to insert objects – known as sounds, which are typically small glass or metal rods – or even fluid into the urethra. Many objects have been used for sounding, however, and that’s one of the reasons the practice is so hazardous.

Urethras created from patients' own cells

Construction of urethras for injured boys in US moves science a step closer to growing replacement body parts

Urinary catheters – not just uncomfortable but dangerous too

Urinary catheters are not exactly the most popular topic of conversation, but their problems affect millions of people. Catheterisation is not just a necessary and uncomfortable process, but for many, it is a daily and dangerous one where progress towards safer, more comfortable catheters has been — dare we say it — painfully slow.

What is the Urethra?

Females use their urethra only for urinating, but males use their urethra for both urination and ejaculation. The urethral sphincters are two muscles used to control the exit of urine in the urinary bladder through the urethra, and allow for voluntary control over urination (e.g., muscles that allow a person to “hold” or release their urine, or pee). In the human male, the urethra is around 7-8 inches long and opens at the end of the penis. This is the hole at the tip of the penis that both urine and semen are released from.

Resources

TeachMe Anatomy

The male urethra is approximately 15-20cm long. In addition to urine, the male urethra transports semen – a fluid containing spermatozoa and sex gland secretions.