What it means
The last part of the urinary tract. In women it is short, about 4 cm (1.5 inches), and opens in front of the vagina; this short length is one reason women get more urinary tract infectionYUR-ih-nair-ee TRAKT in-FEK-shunAn infection anywhere in the urinary tract: the kidneys, ureters, bladder or urethra.Full entry . In men it is about 20 cm (8 inches) long, runs through the prostate and the penis, and also carries semen. An indwelling urinary catheterin-DWEL-ing YUR-ih-nair-ee KATH-uh-terA tube passed through the urethra into the bladder and left in place to drain urine into a bag.Full entry is passed through the urethra into the bladder.
For the nurse
Clean the area around the opening (the meatus) during catheter care and before collecting a clean-catch urine sample. Teach women to wipe from front to back.
Remember it
Ureter comes before urethra in the alphabet and in the body: kidney, ureter, bladder, urethra, out.
At a glance
| Spanish | uretra |
|---|---|
| Also written | urethrae, urethral |
Easy to confuse with
ureter
One of the two tubes that carry urine from the kidneys down to the bladder.
Related terms
indwelling urinary catheter
A tube passed through the urethra into the bladder and left in place to drain urine into a bag.
bladder
The hollow, stretchy organ in the lower belly that stores urine until it leaves the body.
urinary tract
The organs that make, carry, store and pass urine: the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
benign prostatic hyperplasia
A prostate gland that has grown larger than normal, from growth that is not cancer.