Urethra, duct that transmits urine from the bladder to the exterior of the body during urination. The urethra is held closed by the urethral sphincter, a muscular structure that helps keep urine in the bladder until voiding can occur.
Because the urethra is anatomically linked with the reproductive structures, its characteristics in males are quite different from those in females. The male’s urethra is about 18 to 20 cm (7 to 8 inches) long and passes along the length of the penis before emptying. At its emergence from the bladder, the urethra passes through the prostate gland, and seminal ducts from the testes enter the urethra at each side, making it the pathway for the transmission of semen as well as for the discharge of urine. The male urethra can be divided into three sections: the prostatic urethra (the uppermost segment within the prostate), the membranous urethra (the segment within the urethral sphincter), and the spongy urethra (the lowermost and longest section within the penis). Additional sections may be recognized, including the preprostatic urethra (at the neck of the bladder) and the fossa navicularis, pendulous urethra, and bulbous urethra, all subdivisions of the spongy urethra. In addition, the male urethra may be described in terms of a posterior region (prostatic and membranous urethras) and an anterior region (spongy urethra).
The female urethra is embedded within the vaginal wall, and its opening is situated between the labia. The female urethra is much shorter than that of the male, being only 4 cm (1.5 inches) long. It begins at the bladder neck and opens to the outside just after passing through the urethral sphincter.
The urethra can be affected by any of various conditions. In hypospadias, a congenital disorder, the urethra opens on the underside of the penis. Both the male and female urethra are subject to urethritis, an inflammatory condition often brought on by infection. Urethral stricture, or narrowing of the urethra, also can be caused by developmental conditions as well as by inflammation, infection, or injury. Urethral cancer is a rare condition, more common in women than men; risk is influenced by a history of bladder cancer, as well as by conditions associated with chronic inflammation of the urethra (e.g., frequent urinary tract infection). Common symptoms of inflammation or infection include difficulty urinating, frequent urination, dysuria (pain with urination), and bleeding or discharge from the urethral opening. An obscure condition known as urethral syndrome may be diagnosed when symptoms indicative of urethral infection are present but demonstrable infection is absent.
