Anatomy Of Genitourinary System

The term urogenital is used in men as the reproductive and urinary systems merge. It consists of several parts:

• Testes
• Epididymis
• Vas deferens
• Ejaculatory ducts
• Urethra
• Penis
• Prostate
• Other accessory glands

Testes

The testis is a firm, mobile organ covered by a capsule and lying inside a sac called the scrotum. It is divided into lobules which contain the seminiferous tubules which produce sperms and the male hormone, testosterone.

Epididymis

The epididymis is a coiled tube from the tail of which emerges the vas deferens. It stores and transports sperms.

Vas deferens

The vas deferens transports sperms to the ejaculatory ducts.

Ejaculatory ducts

The two ejaculatory ducts unite with ducts emerging from the seminal vesicles which are accessory glands that secrete fluid and empty into the part of the urethra that passes through the prostate.

Urethra

The male urethra extends from the urinary bladder to the external opening of the penis. Both urine and sperm pass through the urethra.

Penis

The penis is made up of erectile tissue, corpus spongiosum in the middle and two corpus cavernosa on either side. At the end of the corpus spongiosum is the head of the penis where the urethra opens.

Prostate

The prostate is a part of the male reproductive system and is a plum or walnut-sized gland which lies just below the urinary bladder and surrounds the urethra (the tube that takes urine from the bladder, along the penis, out of the body and also transports semen). The prostate has 3 lobes; one central and one each on either side and is partly muscular and partly glandular. It has ducts that open into the prostatic portion of the urethra to carry the fluid it produces.

The prostate gland’s main purpose is to secrete the seminal fluid that carries sperm. During the male climax, the muscular glands of the prostate help to propel the prostate fluid, in addition to sperm that is made in the testicles, into the urethra. The semen then leaves the body through the tip of the penis during ejaculation.

The urinary system

It helps eliminate waste from the body, regulate blood volume, blood pressure and control levels of metabolites and electrolytes. It consists of:

• Kidneys
• Ureters
• Bladder
• Male urethra

Kidneys

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs in the abdomen made up of nephrons which filter the blood and after further processing, the waste is exited from the body. The kidneys not only remove waste, but also create a water-salt balance in the body  and produce hormones.

Ureters

The ureter is a tube connecting each kidney to the bladder and enters the bladder at an angle to act as a valve which prevents backflow of urine. The ureters help transport urine to the bladder.

Bladder

The bladder receives urine from the ureters and stores it until one decides to pass urine which is then transported through the urethra.

Male urethra

The male urethra connects the bottom of the bladder to the outside opening. In men, it transports both urine and sperms.