One of the ways your body disposes of waste is through the urinary system. Your kidneys, bladder, and urethra work together in a complicated mechanism to make, store, and ultimately excrete urine. Your urinary system works hard to keep your body waste free by removing excess fluid. You should know the urinary system’s critical regulation and systematic mechanism if you have urinary system issues such as urinary incontinence (UI) or painful urination.
The Urinary System- What It Is?
Your urinary system eliminates waste products and poisons from your body through a network of tubes and ducts. Your digestive system and arteries are linked by these tubes.
What Does The Urinary System Do?
Your urinary system typically filters your blood to remove substances that are unnecessary for your body. It removes extra water, salt, poisons, and waste materials. Blood filtering is one of the many functions various components of the urinary system carry out.
- Separating the waste material and toxins, you don’t need
- Storing urine in your body and excreting it
How Does The Urinary System Work?
As said above, the primary function of the urinary system is to filter or clean blood and produce urine as a waste product. The urinary system’s organs are the ureters, bladder, kidneys, renal pelvis, and urethra.
The body transforms nutrients from meals into energy. The waste products remain in the blood and bowel after the body has absorbed the nutrients it requires from the food.
The renal and urinary systems aid in the body’s elimination of urea, a type of liquid waste. They also help balance substances like potassium and salt with water. Your body produces urea when it absorbs and digests foods high in protein, such as meat and poultry. The bloodstream carries urea to the kidneys and eliminates it in urine with water and other wastes.
Erythropoietin production is another vital kidney function. Erythropoietin regulates the creation of red blood cells in the bone marrow and helps control blood pressure. The acid-base balance is also maintained, and the kidneys store fluids.
Functions Of The Urine And Kidney Systems
- Two kidneys
Kidneys are the purplish-brown organs your body has below the ribs. They:
- Control red blood formation
- Eliminate toxins and waste products
- Maintain fluid balance in the body
- Release hormones that control blood pressure
The kidneys eliminate urea from the blood through tiny filtering organelles known as nephrons. A nephron comprises a glomerulus, a ball of tiny blood capillaries, a renal tubule, and a tiny tube. As urea travels through the nephrons and down the renal tubules of the kidney, it creates urine along with water and other waste products.
- Two Ureters
Urine travels through the tiny tubes from the kidneys to the bladder. The ureter walls’ muscles constantly contract and relax, pushing urine downward away from the kidneys. A kidney infection may occur if urine stops flowing or stagnate. Small volumes of urine are released from the ureters into the bladder every 5 to 10 seconds.
- Bladder
The lower abdomen contains this triangle-shaped, hollow organ. Ligaments connected to the pelvic bones and other organs hold it in place. When storing urine, the walls of your bladder relax and expand slowly. However, they contract and flatten when emptying urine through the urethra.
A healthy adult urinary bladder has a two to five-hour storage capacity of up to two cups of urine.
Common Urinary System Diseases
Many factors can cause urinary system issues, with most UI issues linked to aging.
If your urinary system doesn’t function effectively, your body becomes more prone to illness, your other bodily systems start to function less effectively, and your muscles weaken. Watch out for any issues to ensure that your urinary system remains healthy.
The following are among the symptoms of the poor functioning urinary system:
- A lump in the testicle
- A reduced sexual desire (men)
- Bladder control loss
- Blood in urine
- Enlarged prostate
- Hernia
- Overactive bladder
- Pain in the pelvis, lower back, or sides
- Painful urination
- Protruding bladder
- Reduced bladder control
- Trouble maintaining an erection
- Urge to urinate quickly
Summary
The urinary system is an essential mechanism of your body that contributes to your overall health. Thus, ensure you understand how the urinary system works and the health issues you may suffer. Also, always purchase quality and safe medical products from Active Life Medical Products for urinary system issues such as UI and poor bladder control.
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