urethra

Examples of urethra in the following topics:

• Urethra

  • The mucuous urethral tissue are mucous membranes that line the interior of the urethra.
  • The urethral sphincter  separates the bladder from the urethra.
  • In males, the urethra travels through the penis, and carries semen as well as urine.
  • Aside from semen, and the male urethra's greater length, it is structurally similar to the female urethra.
  • Describe the location and function of the urethra as part of the urinary system

• Overview of Urine Transport, Storage, and Elimination

  • Urine transport follows a path through the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra, which are collectively known as the urinary tract.
  • The sphincter muscles close tightly like a rubber band around the opening of the bladder into the urethra, the tube that allows urine to pass outside the body.
  • As these muscles relax, urine exits the bladder through the urethra, and leaves the body through an opening in the genital region that contains the urethra.

• Micturition and the Micturition Reflex

  • Micturition is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body.
  • Micturition, also known as urination, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body.
  • Due to sexual dimorphism, and the positions where the urethra ends, males and females often use different techniques for urination.
  • Voiding phase- a contracted bladder that forces the external sphincter open and discharges urine through the urethra.
  • In females, the urethra opens straight into the vulva.

• Cystoscopy

  • Cytoscopy is an endoscopy of the urinary bladder via the urethra.
  • Cystoscopy is an endoscopy of the urinary bladder via the urethra.
  • The medication is instilled into the urethra via the urinary meatus five to ten minutes prior to the beginning of the procedure.
  • The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body.

• Accessory Sex Glands

  • The primary purposes of the accessory sex glands are to produce seminal fluid and to clean and lubricate the urethra.
  • Within the prostate, the urethra coming from the bladder is called the prostatic urethra and merges with the two ejaculatory ducts.
  • They are enclosed by transverse fibers of the sphincter urethrae membranaceae muscle.
  • This duct is approximately 2.5 cm long and opens into the urethra at the base of the penis.
  • This fluid helps to lubricate the urethra for spermatozoa to pass through, neutralizes traces of acidic urine in the urethra, and helps flush out any residual urine or foreign matter.

• Urinary Bladder

  • The bladder expands and fills with urine before it is discharged into the urethra during urination.
  • The urethra exits at the lowest point of the triangle of the trigone.
  • There are two sphincters, or muscular valves, that separate the bladder from the urethra.
  • The sphincters must open before the urine can flow into the urethra.
  • When the bladder fills with urine, stretch receptors send nerve impulses to the spinal cord, which then sends a reflex nerve impulse back to the internal sphincter valve at the neck of the bladder, causing it to relax and allow the flow of urine into the urethra.

• Anatomy of the Male Reproductive System

  • Semen and urine leave the penis through the urethra.
  • Vas deferens: Transports mature sperm to the urethra in preparation for ejaculation.
  • Bulbourethral (Cowper's) glands: Pea-sized structures located on the sides of the urethra just below the prostate gland.
  • These glands produce a clear, slippery fluid that empties directly into the urethra.
  • Fluid produced by these glands lubricates the urethra and to neutralizes acidity associated with residual urine.

• Chemical Composition of Urine

  • Urine is a liquid by-product of the body secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra.
  • Urine is sterile until it reaches the urethra, where epithelial cells lining the urethra are colonized by facultatively anaerobic gram negative rods and cocci.

• Prostate Disorders

  • Also, during ejaculation, smooth muscles in the prostate contract to help propel semen through the urethra.
  • Technically the prostate is not part of the urinary system, but because of its location and relationship to the urethra, the prostate can (and often does) affect urinary function.
  • If the prostate grows too large, it may constrict the urethra and impede the flow of urine, making urination difficult and painful and, in extreme cases, completely impossible.

• Overview of the Male and Female Reproductive Systems

  • These include the penis, urethra, vas deferens, and Cowper's gland.
  • Only our species has such a distinctive mushroom-capped glans, which is connected to the shaft by a thin tissue of frenulum (the delicate tab of skin just beneath the urethra).
  • The vagina meets the outside at the vulva, which also includes the labia, clitoris, and urethra.