Overview of the urinary system

The urinary system consists of 6 organs: 2 kidneys, 2 ureters, the urinary bladder, and the urethra.

Kidney is the organ located in the both sides of the abdomen which filters the blood, maintain the pH balace and control fluid excretion. Urine is produced and then drained into the connecting tube called "ureter" into the bladder which is located in the pelvis. Urine is stored in the bladder until it is excreted during urination.

Figure 1: Urinary system.

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The kidneys remove waste products e.g. metabolic wastes, toxin, etc from the blood and generate urine. Urine is collected in the middle of each kidney, an area called the renal pelvis. Urine is then drained through a long tube, the ureter, to the bladder. At last, urine is excreted through the urethra by the skeletal muscle conctraction of the bladder and the muscles in the pelvis.

The kidneys also produce hormones that regulate the formation of red blood cells and help control blood pressure. More details can be found in the 'Functions' section.