The Urinary Tract
The urinary tract includes the organs involved in the formation and release of urine. The image below shows the parts of the urinary tract in women and men.
Kidneys: The site of urine formation. They are located deep in the upper part of abdomen.
Ureters: Two hollow tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.
Bladder: A sac within your pelvis where urine is stored till the time you go to pass urine.
Urethra: The tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside. It is a very short structure in women. In men it’s a long tube that runs all the way through the penis.
Prostate: A gland found in men. It is located just below the bladder, wrapped around the uppermost part of urethra. The prostate gland is not involved in urine formation, but since it located so close to the bladder and urethra, and is also connected to the urethra diseases affecting the prostate cause several urinary symptoms.
Reproductive organs are located very close to the urinary system in both men and women. This is important from the diagnosis and treatment point of view because diseases in the reproductive organs can also produce symptoms of urinary tract diseases. In women, the vagina lies just below the urethra. The uterus rests on top of the bladder. In men, the ducts carrying semen from the testis and associated glands finally open into the urethra.