Ureters
This pair of tubes carry urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.
They are around 11 inches long and run on the left and right side of
your body, parallel to your spine.
Urinary Bladder
This is another sac-like organ that is hollow in the middle, where it stores
urine. As the hollow space fills, the elastic walls of the bladder are stretched
to accommodate anything from 600-800ml of urine.
Urethra
The tube through which your urine passes out of your body from the
bladder is called the urethra. This is different in males and females. In
females, it is only around 2 inches long, and it ends just above the vaginal
opening. In males, the urethra is around 9 inches long, and ends at the tip of
their penis. In the case of males, the urethra is also part of the reproductive
system as it also carries sperm out of the body.
There are two sphincter muscles that control the flow of urine through
the urethra. The internal sphincter is made of smooth muscle and opens
involuntarily whenever the bladder reaches a certain level – this is what tells
us we need to urinate. The external sphincter is made of skeletal muscle
and we can open it to allow urine out or hold it closed to delay urination.
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