From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Female urethra and male urethra
Theurethra is atube that connects thebladder to the outside of the body. Allmammals have it. It allows the removal ofurine from thebody. There is a muscle (theurethral sphincter) which controlsurination.
Human male and female urinary bladders and urethras
In humananatomy, men have longer urethras than women. This means that women have bladderinfections more often because their bladders are closer to the outside. Because the male urethra is longer and is not straight,inserting acatheter (tube to help urination) is more difficult in men.
Detailed view of a human vulva (with anatomical features described): 1 - Clitoral Hood, 2. Clitoris, 3. Labia majora, 4.Urinary opening, 5. Labia minora, 6. Anus, 7. Vaginal opening, 8. Perineum
In women, the urethra is 3-4 cm (1.5 in) long. It's opening to the outside of the body is part of thevulva (the area between a woman's legs). The female urethra is between theclitoris and the opening to thevagina. Men's urethra goes through their penis, but in women, it is not in the clitoris.
A male urethra cut open along on all its length with urinary bladder and penis structure
In men, the urethra is about 20 cm (8 in) long and its opening to the outside of the body is at the end of thepenis.The male urethra has three sections:
Theprostatic urethra crosses theprostate gland. Thevas deferens also opens into the urethra in this section.
Themembranous urethra is a short section that goes through the urethral sphincter. It is 1 or 2 cm long and is thenarrowest (least wide) part of the urethra.
Thespongy orpenile urethra goes through the penis on its lower side. This section is 15-16 cm (6 in) long and goes through thecorpus spongiosum.
