what is Urethra?

The urethra is the "tunnel" to the outside.
The urethra is the excretion, which enters the urine from the bladder to the outside. The length of the urethra is different for men and women. Another difference is that in men the urethra at the same time for the sperm duct is.


The female urethra is very short.
The female urethra is about 2.5 to 5 cm long. It starts just above the pelvic floor. It passes forward between the pubic symphysis (pubic symphysis) and the anterior wall of the vagina. The outer opening of the vaginal vestibule is located just behind the clitoris. To clarify the situation here is a graph of the female sexual organs. The lumen of the female urethra is narrowed by longitudinal folds. There are also in the mucosa of the urethra or elastic nets and a network of veins. These structures have a combined function of a seal pad, which is involved in the safe sealing of the urethra.


In men, the urethra can sometimes be 25 inches long.
The male urethra is 20 to 25 cm is significantly longer than the female urethra. Just beyond the inner opening of the urethra in they open the coats of the seminal fluid. These openings are called the ejaculatory duct. From here, the urethra in the male sperm a urinary tube.



after section of the urethra are given different names.
In its course the male urethra is divided into three different sections:

    Prostatic urethra: urethral This part is about 3 inches long. It starts at the inner urethral opening and passes through the prostate (prostate gland).
    Membranous part: This part is very short and very narrow section of the urethra, which runs through the pelvic floor.
    Spongy: This section is very long. He runs through the whole erectile tissue and ends at the external urethral opening on the glans.


Longitudinal folds constrict the lumen.
The ejaculatory duct flow in the prostatic urethra into the urethra. They are the common duct of the gland vesicles and vas deferens. In the area of ​​the membranous form of muscle fibers of the muscles of the pelvic floor arbitrarily controllable urethral sphincter. In the upper section of the spongy lead the Cowper's glands.

This applied only pea-sized glands are paired and mucus glands. Their secretion is slightly alkaline. It is released before ejaculation to neutralize the acidic environment of the urethra. As an additional enhancement is closure - as with the woman - also narrowed the lumen of the urethra in men by longitudinal folds of the urethral mucosa.