3.47 Urinary System Definition & Facts
Did you know that peeing is actually your body’s way of taking out the trash? Learn about the urinary system, how it keeps you healthy and more amazing facts about pee in this lesson.
The Urinary System
What happens after you drink a lot of water? You have to go – to the bathroom that is!
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Even though drinking a lot makes us run to the bathroom, pee, also called urine, is much more than just the water and other stuff we drink. Urine is your body’s way of taking out the trash!
Your body has a network of organs, called the urinary system, that work together to make and get rid of urine.
Parts of the Urinary System
We go to the bathroom several times a day without even thinking about the long journey our urine has to make. There are four main parts of the urinary system: kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Let’s look at each in more detail.
| The urinary system is made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. These parts work together to make and get rid of urine. |
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Kidneys
What did one bean say to the other? ‘How you bean?’ You have two bean-shaped organs in your body called kidneys (but I doubt they talk to each other!). The main job of the kidneys is to remove waste and extra water from your blood. This waste comes from the normal functions your body performs every day, like digesting food.
The kidneys combine this waste and water to make urine. So, peeing is an important way our bodies get rid of waste and keep us healthy.
Ureters
Once urine is made by the kidneys, it starts its journey out of your body. The ureters are two long, muscular tubes that transport the newly made urine from your kidneys to your bladder.
Bladder
Imagine filling up a water balloon. The balloon starts out kind of flat and expands as you add water. Your bladder works the same way. When it’s empty, it’s like the deflated balloon, but as it fills with urine, it expands. Just like water balloons store water until you’re ready to soak your friend, the bladder stores urine until it’s time to pee. When it’s full, nerves in the bladder send a message to your brain that says, ‘It’s time to go!’
Urethra
Urine’s last stop in your body is the urethra – a long tube that carries urine from the bladder out of your body when you pee.
Facts
- The average bladder can hold about 330 ml of urine. That is about as much liquid as a pop can holds.
- The average person passes 1.5 to 2 liters of urine a day.
- What you eat and drink can change the color of your urine. Eating beets or blackberries can turn your pee pink!
- Your pee can tell you a lot about your health. Dark yellow pee is a sign that you’re dehydrated and need to drink some water. Orange pee can be caused by liver problems.
1. Main points:
The urinary system consists of the kidneys (filtering waste and water), ureters (transporting urine), bladder (storing urine), and urethra (expelling urine). It plays a crucial role in waste removal and maintaining health, with urine color indicating various health conditions.
2. Questions:
- Content Analysis: What are the functions of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra in the urinary system?
- Contextual Analysis: How does the urinary system contribute to overall health and waste removal?
- Linguistic Analysis: What words in the text describe the process and importance of the urinary system?
3. Further Discussion:
Why is it important to monitor changes in urine color or volume?
4. Answers:
- Content Analysis: "Kidneys… remove waste and extra water… Ureters… transport the newly made urine… Bladder… stores urine until it’s time to pee… Urethra… carries urine from the bladder out of your body."
- Contextual Analysis: The urinary system removes waste and extra water, stores and then expels urine, playing a key role in maintaining health.
- Linguistic Analysis: Words like "filtering," "transporting," "storing," "expelling," and "maintaining health" describe the process and importance of the urinary system.
Lesson Summary
Your kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra form your urinary system. The main function of this system is to make and get rid of urine, also known as pee. Urine is made of waste and extra water your body needs to get rid of to stay healthy.