The urinary system works as a filter, removing toxins and wastes from your body through urine. It uses a series of tubes and ducts to pass this waste. These tubes are connected to your blood vessels and digestive system. Your urinary system helps the rest of your body work properly. Read Pritish Kumar Halder brief illustration about Urinary System.

Urinary system anatomy

What are the parts of the urinary system?

The kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra make up the urinary system. They all work together to filter, store and remove liquid waste from your body. Here’s what each organ does:

Kidneys: These organs work constantly. They filter your blood and make urine, which your body eliminates. You have two kidneys, one on either side of the back of your abdomen, just below your rib cage. Each kidney is about as big as your fist.

Ureters: These two thin tubes inside your pelvis carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder.

Bladder: Your bladder holds urine until you’re ready to empty it (pee). It’s hollow, made of muscle, and shaped like a balloon. Your bladder expands as it fills up. Most bladders can hold up to 2 cups of urine.

Urethra: This tube carries urine from your bladder out of your body. It ends in an opening to the outside of your body in the penis (in men) or in front of the vagina (in women).

What does the urinary system do?

Your urinary system filters your blood to get rid of what your body doesn’t need. It eliminates extra water and salt, toxins, and other waste products. Different parts of the urinary system perform tasks including:

  • Filtering blood.
  • Separating the toxins you don’t need from the nutrients you do need.
  • Storing and carrying urine out of your body.

How does the urinary system clean my blood?

Your kidneys are an essential part of filtering your blood. Here’s how the urinary system works:

  • Your blood enters each kidney through lots of little arteries.
  • Your kidneys filter your blood, separating toxins from nutrients.
  • Vitamins, minerals, nutrients and proteins return to your bloodstream.
  • Waste products and urine move through your ureters to your bladder. Your bladder stores urine until you use the toilet.
  • Urine leaves your body through your urethra.

How can I keep my urinary system healthy?

You can’t prevent most urinary tract problems. But you can try to keep your urinary system healthy with proper hygiene and a healthy lifestyle. To help your urinary system work the way it should, you can:

 

  • Drink plenty of water: Staying hydrated will flush out your system and can help you prevent kidney stones and UTIs. You can try drinking cranberry juice to ward off a UTI. Compounds in cranberries may stop bacteria from growing.
  • Eat a healthy diet: Low sodium, high-calcium foods may prevent kidney stones.
  • Wipe the right way: Women should always wipe front to back after using the toilet. Proper wiping reduces the risk of bacteria getting into the vagina and causing a UTI.
  • Empty your bladder after sex: If you’re a woman, you should use the bathroom after having sex. Peeing promptly can clear out bacteria and reduce your risk of a UTI.
  • Practice safe sex: Protect yourself from an STI with a condom. But be careful with spermicides because they can cause bacteria to flourish.
  • Do pelvic floor exercises: Also called Kegel exercises, these can reduce your risk of urinary incontinence by strengthening the muscles in your pelvic floor.

Reference

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/21197-urinary-system