Urethra

The urethra is the tube through which urine passes in the final phase of the urinary process from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body during urination. The function of the urethra is to excrete in both sexes and it also fulfills a reproductive function in the male by allowing the passage of semen from the seminal vesicles that lead to the prostate to the outside, that is, this duct is shared by the urinary system and genital system

Function

The urethra is the excretory tube for urine that extends from the neck of the bladder to the external urinary meatus.

It is different in both sexes, however, it presents some differences that are interesting to highlight. In females, the urethra is about 3 to 3.5 cm long and opens to the outside of the body just above the vagina. In males, the urethra is about 20 cm long, passing through the prostate gland and then through the penis to the outside of the body. In the male, the urethra is a conduit common to the urinary system and the reproductive system, therefore, its function is to carry both urine and seminal fluid to the exterior. In men, the urethra starts at the bottom of the bladder, passes through the prostate, and forms part of the penis. In women, however, it is much shorter, since its journey is shorter. It is firmly attached to the wall of the vagina, does not pass through the prostate - in the case of women, Skene's glands are homologous, in their embryonic origin and their functions, to the male prostate - and does not have, as in man, a reproductive function.

Anatomy of the Urethra

Female urethra

In women, the urethra is 3.5 centimeters long and is located in the vulva, between the clitoris and the vaginal introitus. This short length of the female urethra explains the greater susceptibility to urinary infections in women.

Don't confuse the ureter with the urethra. Its function is similar, to transport urine from one place to another, but while the ureter is in charge of conducting urine from the kidneys to the bladder, the urethra conducts it from the bladder to the outside. Both are two fundamental parts of the urinary system and both are tubes that carry urine, but they have differences.

Male Urethra

In the male, the urethra is about twenty centimeters long and opens to the exterior at the urethral meatus of the glans penis with a diameter of 6 mm. Due to this length, male urinary catheterization is more difficult than female. In this long journey, the male urethra has different portions that are:

• Prostatic urethra: It runs through the prostate gland, to this structure is where the ejaculating ducts pour their contents.
• Uretra membranosa: It is a short portion of one or two centimeters through the musculature of the pelvis floor containing the external urethral sphincter, a striated muscle that voluntarily controls the urination. The membranous urethra is the closest portion of the urethra.
• Sponge urethra: It is called so because it is found inside the spongy body of the penis, an erectile pod that runs through the entire ventral face of the penis. He comes to the glan and opens in the meate. It has a length of about 9-11 centimeters.

Diseases of the urethra

• Hipospadia
• Uretritis
• Uretral stenosis
• Uretral sound