Topic 7 : The Urinary System Flashcards
The organs, tubes, muscles, and nerves that work together to create, store and carry urine are called
The urinary system
The urinary system includes what
Two kidneys, two ureters, the bladder, two sphincter muscles, and the urethra
The male urethra is the common canal for what
Reproduction, as well as the urinary systems
The male urethra is how long
18-20cm
The female urethra serves what only
The urinary canal
How long is the female urethra
4cm
What does the body use to maintain bodily functions, including energy and self repair
Nutrients from food
The urinary system works with the lungs, skin, and intestines - all of which excrete what
Waste - to keep the chemicals and water in the body balanced
What is the name of a type of waste that the urinary system removes from your blood
Urea
When foods containing protein, such as meat, poultry, and certain vegetables are broken down what is produced
Urea
Urea is carried in the bloodstream to what organ
Kidneys
Where are the kidneys located
Near the middle of the back, just below the ribcage
The kidneys remove urea, together with what
Water and other waste substances from the blood through tiny filtering units called nephrons
A nephron consists of a ball formed of what
Small blood capillaries, called glomerulus, and a small tube called a renal tubule
Urea, together with water and other waste substances, forms what as it passes through the nephrons and down the renal tubules of the kidneys
Urine
From the kidneys, urine travels down two thin tubes called _______ to the bladder
Ureters
How long are the ureters
About 20-25cm
The muscles in the ureter walls constanstantly tighten and relax what happens to the urine
It’s forced downward away from the kidneys
What can develop if urine is allowed to stand still or back up in the kidneys
A kidney infection
How often are small amounts of urine emptied into the bladder from the ureters
About every 10 to 15 seconds
The bladder a hollow muscular organ shaped like balloon sits where in your body
In your pelvis
How is the bladder held in place in your pelvis
By ligaments attached to other organs and the pelvic bones
If the urinary system is healthy how much urine can it hold and for how long comfortably
16oz (2 cups) for 2 to 5 hours
What are the circular muscles called that help keep urine from leaking
Sphincters
What is the tube that allows urine to pass outside the body
The urethra
What muscles close tightly like a rubber band around the opening of the bladder into the urethra
Sphincters
What tells your body when you need to urinate
The nerves of the bladder
When does the sensation to urinate become stronger
When the bladder continues to fill and reach its limit
At the point when your bladder has reached its limit what happens
Nerves from the bladder send a message to the brain that the bladder is full, and your urge to empty your bladder intensifies
When urinating what does the brain signal to the bladder
It’s tells the bladder muscles to tighten, squeezing urine out of the bladder
What else does the brain signal at the same time when you urinate as well as telling the bladder muscles to tighten
It signals to the sphincters muscles to relax
When the brain signals to tighten the bladder muscles and relax the sphincter muscles what happens
Urine exists the bladder through the urethra and when all the signals occur in the correct order, normal urination occurs
