What is the urethra?

Answer 1

In both men and women, the urethra is the tube through which urine is excreted from the urinary bladder to outside the body. Urine flows from the bladder out of the body by way of the urethra when the sphincter muscle is relaxed. The urethral sphincter muscle is at the base of the bladder and controls the release of urine from the bladder into the urethra, which then flows out of the meatus (opening at the end of the urethra) when urinating.

The urethra is approximately 1 1/2 inches long in females and around 8 inches long in males. The urethral meatus is located at the tip of the penis in men and between the clitoris and vaginal opening in women.

In males the urethra also carries semen from the ejaculatory duct outwards through the penis. The semen is directed from the reproductive organs through the vas deferens tube for semen that intersects with the urethra at the prostate gland. A valve there at the base of the urethra directs the flow of either urine or semen through the urethra and out of the meatus.

Answer 2

In the middle of the penis is a tube thing that carries urine and semen from inside to outside of the body. Women have uretheras too, but not the same as a man's.