HLTH1008 Chap.13 Urinary and Reproductive Systems
Urinary and Reproductive Systems
This chapter covers the organs of the urinary and reproductive systems. It works through renal colic to explain the three sites where a ureteric stone lodges, sorts the parts of the nephron into cortex and medulla, and compares the male and female urethra.
It follows sperm from the testis to the urethra with the glands that add to semen, and describes the uterus, vagina, uterine tube and ovary, including the angles and lengths the course gives, culdocentesis and ectopic pregnancy. Lengths, weights and angles are given as the reproductive lecture states them, because the quizzes ask for these figures directly.
Each organ is given with its position and its blood supply, the two facts quizzes ask for most.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Ureteric calculi and lodgement sites
- 02
Kidney surfaces, vessels and blood flow
- 03
Nephron parts by kidney zone
- 04
Male and female urethra compared
- 05
Testis, epididymis and ductus deferens
- 06
Seminal vesicles, prostate and semen
- 07
Uterus, vagina and the posterior fornix
- 08
Uterine tube, ovary and their arteries
Worked example · free
Locating a ureteric stone
- +1First, the pelviureteric junction, where the renal pelvis joins the ureter.
- +1Second, immediately above the point where the common iliac vessels divide.
- +1Third, the vesicoureteric junction, where the ureter passes through the bladder muscle.
- +1A lodged stone causes severe pain and can be a surgical emergency.
Key terms
- Ureteric calculus
- A urinary stone lodged in the ureter.
- Loop of Henle
- The part of the nephron that lies in the renal medulla.
- Ductus deferens
- The muscular duct leading from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct.
- Prostate
- The gland below the bladder that adds 20 to 30% of semen.
- Posterior fornix
- The largest vaginal fornix, next to the recto-uterine pouch.
- Culdocentesis
- Needle aspiration of pelvic fluid through the posterior fornix.
- Pelviureteric junction
- The junction of the renal pelvis and ureter, the first site where stones lodge.
- Uterine tube
- The tube of about 10 cm with infundibulum, ampulla, isthmus and intramural part.
- Seminal vesicle
- The gland that provides 60 to 65% of the volume of semen.
Urinary and Reproductive Systems FAQ
How long are the male and female urethrae?
The reproductive lecture gives 18 to 22 cm for the male urethra, with prostatic, membranous, bulbar and penile parts, and about 38 mm for the female urethra, which opens into the vestibule in front of the vaginal orifice. The final exam item list asks for this comparison.
Which arteries supply the uterus and the ovary?
The uterine artery arises from the internal iliac artery, as do the vaginal and internal pudendal arteries. The ovarian artery arises from the abdominal aorta, like the testicular artery in the male, a point the model paper asks about.
What does the prostate contribute and where is it?
The prostate lies below the bladder, weighs about 11 g and supplies 20 to 30% of the volume of semen, while the seminal vesicles supply 60 to 65%. Because of its position it can be felt on rectal examination, as the lecture notes.
Where is the posterior fornix of the vagina and why does it matter?
It is the largest of the vaginal fornices and lies directly against the recto-uterine pouch. Fluid that collects in that pouch can therefore be aspirated with a needle through the posterior fornix, a procedure called culdocentesis that the model paper uses as a clinical item.
What makes up semen?
The seminal vesicles provide an alkaline fluid forming 60 to 65% of semen and the prostate 20 to 30%, with sperm from the testis and a lubricating secretion from the bulbourethral glands. The lecture gives 2.5 to 5 ml per ejaculate and 50 to 150 million sperm per ml.
Exam move
Draw the ureter from kidney to bladder and mark the three stone sites in order. Make a two-column table for the nephron by kidney zone and another for the male and female urethra. Then write the sperm pathway as a numbered list and add where each gland joins. Finish with the female organs, learning the vaginal angles and wall lengths and the posterior fornix route for aspirating pelvic fluid.
Use the Canvas quiz on the urinary and reproductive systems as a final check, and for every wrong answer write the organ, its position and one fact beside it.
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