The urethra is the last portion of the renal apparatus and in the case of the male sex it is also the reproductive system. It constitutes the expulsion conduit of the urine stored in the bladder.
Summary
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- 1 Function of the Urethra
- 2 Features
- 3 Anatomy of the urethra in men
- 4 Anatomy of the urethra in women
- 5 most common diseases
- 6 See also
- 7 Sources
Function of the Urethra
The function of the urethra is excretory in both sexes and it also plays a reproductive role in men by allowing semen to pass from the seminal vesicles that lead to the prostate to the exterior.
features
In women, the urethra is about 3.5 cm in length and opens to the outside of the body just above the vagina. In men, the urethra is about 12 cm long, passes through the prostate gland, and then through the penis to the outside of the body. In man, the urethra is a common conduit to the urinary system and the reproductive system; therefore, its function is to carry both urine and seminal fluid outside. In men, the urethra begins in the lower part of the bladder , passes through the prostate, and is part of the penis. In women, however, it is much shorter because its path is shorter, it is firmly attached to the wall of the vaginaIt does not pass through the prostate, women lack this organ and it does not have, as in men, a reproductive function.
Anatomy of the urethra in men
Male Urethra
- Intramural portion: We found the internal urethral sphincter, involuntary contraction. It has smooth circular muscles. It is located inside the bladder.
- Prostatic portion: It runs through the prostate gland , where the vas deferens lead .
- Membranous portion: In this portion we find the urogenital diaphragm with the voluntary contracting external urogenital sphincter that allows us to control the urination reflex.
- Spongy portion: It is the portion that circulates through the spongy body of the penis.
- Navicular portion: It receives this name since it has, just before leaving the external urethral orifice, the navicular fossa. We find the Guerin Glands and the valves; Cowper’s urethral bulbs , important for ejaculation.
- Irrigation: Bladder, prostate and pudendal arteries, branches of the internal iliac.
Anatomy of the urethra in women
Female Urethra
- Intramural portion: We found the internal urethral sphincter , of involuntary contraction. It has smooth circular muscles. It is located inside the bladder
- Pelvic portion: It is subsequently related to the vagina, shares the same septum with it.
- Membranous portion: In this portion we find the urogenital diaphragm with the voluntary contracting external urogenital sphincter that allows us to control the urination reflex.
- Perineal portion: The urethra opens into the vulva, into the external urethral meatus, into the urethral papilla.
- Irrigation: Bladder, vaginal and pudendal arteries, branches of the internal iliac.
- Lymphatic: Inguinal and iliac ganglia.
- Innervation: Sensory and vegetative nerves of the hypogastric and pudendal plexus.
