Anatomy of the bladder

Kidneys

Your kidneys are two bean shaped organs that act as filters for your blood. The kidneys remove waste (urine) but also make sure some fluid is kept in your body so you don’t dehydrate.

Ureters

Once the blood is filtered and urine is produced, the kidneys need somewhere for the urine to go. There is a small tube connected to each kidney called a ureter. The ureters allow urine to drain into your bladder which is where the urine is collected.

Bladder

The bladder is like a bag made of muscle that collects urine so your body can get rid of it at a proper time. The main muscle in the bladder is known as the detrusor muscle.

The urethra is the tube that connects the bladder to the outside world. There are two valves (sphincters), the internal sphincter and the external sphincter. The internal is normally controlled by your nervous system automatically (autonomic), and your external sphincter is controlled by you (voluntary).

Urethra and sphincters

The urethra is the tube that connects the bladder to the outside world. The average length of a male urethra is around 20cm. In comparison,  a woman’s urethra is 4cm. There are two valves (sphincters), the internal sphincter and the external sphincter. The internal is normally controlled by your nervous system automatically (autonomic), and your external sphincter is controlled by you (voluntary). The male urethra also passes through the prostate.