The urinary meatus, (, ) also known as the external urethral orifice, is the opening of the

urethra The urethra (from Greek οὐρήθρα – ''ourḗthrā'') is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus for the removal of urine from the body of both females and males. In human females and other primates, the urethra ...

. It is the point where

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra. Cellul ...

exits the urethra in both sexes and where semen exits the urethra in males. The meatus has varying degrees of sensitivity to touch. The meatus is located on the

glans of the penis In male human anatomy, the glans penis, commonly referred to as the glans, is the bulbous structure at the distal end of the human penis that is the human male's most sensitive erogenous zone and their primary anatomical source of sexual ple ...

or in the

vulval vestibule The vulval vestibule (or vulvar vestibule or vestibule of vagina) is a part of the vulva between the labia minora into which the urinary meatus (urethral opening) and the vaginal opening open. Its edge is marked by Hart's line. It represents the ...

In human males

The male external urethral orifice is the external opening or urinary meatus, normally located at the tip of the glans penis, at its junction with the

frenular delta The frenulum of prepuce of penis, often known simply as the frenulum, is a highly erogenous elastic band of tissue under the glans penis that connects the foreskin to the vernal mucosa, and helps contract the foreskin over the glans. Along with t ...

. It presents as a vertical slit, possibly bounded on either side by two small labia-like projections, and continues longitudinally along the front aspect of the glans, which facilitates the flow of urine micturition. In some cases, the opening may be more rounded. This can occur naturally or may also occur as a side effect of excessive skin removal during circumcision. The meatus is a sensitive part of the male reproductive system.

In human females

The female external urethral orifice is the external opening of the

, from which

is ejected during urination. It is located about behind the clitoris and immediately in front of the vagina in the

. It usually assumes the form of a short,

sagittal The sagittal plane (; also known as the longitudinal plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into right and left sections. It is perpendicular to the transverse and coronal planes. The plane may be in the center of the body and divi ...

cleft with slightly raised margins. To its left and right are the openings of the

Skene's gland In female human anatomy, Skene's glands or the Skene glands ( , also known as the lesser vestibular glands, paraurethral glands) are glands located around the lower end of the urethra. The glands are surrounded by tissue that swells with blood ...

s. Some evidence exists to suggest that the clitoral-urinary meatus distance (CUMD) in human females relates to the ease with which the female may achieve

orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region chara ...

through penetrative sex. Orgasm from penetration alone is observed to be more likely as CUMD decreases. Evidence also suggests that decreased distance from the vaginal opening to the urethral meatus is associated with recurrent post-coital urinary tract infections. Surgical repositioning of the distal urethra to prevent recurrent post-coital urinary tract infections has been employed with some success by Russian physicians.

In other mammals

Unlike most other mammals (including human), female spotted hyenas have a urinary meatus that is located on the clitoral glans.

Clinical significance

Congenital disorder A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities c ...

s of the meatus, in the male, include

epispadias An epispadias is a rare type of malformation in which the urethra ends, in males, in an opening on the upper aspect of the penis, and in females when the urethra develops too far anteriorly. It occurs in around 1 in 120,000 male and 1 in 500,000 ...

(the misplacement to the upper aspect) and

hypospadias Hypospadias is a common variation in fetal development of the penis in which the urethra does not open from its usual location in the head of the penis. It is the second-most common birth abnormality of the male reproductive system, affecting ab ...

(the misplacement to the underside of the penis). A congenital misshaping can result in its narrowing (

meatal stenosis Urethral meatal stenosis is a narrowing ( stenosis) of the opening of the urethra at the external meatus , thus constricting the opening through which urine leaves the body from the urinary bladder. Symptoms and signs * Abnormal strength and ...

), causing a partial or total urinary blockage or the bifurcation of the urinary stream. A urethral blockage can also be caused by foreign material,

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blo ...

stones, or bladder stones (

lithiasis A calculus (plural calculi), often called a stone, is a concretion of material, usually mineral salts, that forms in an organ or duct of the body. Formation of calculi is known as lithiasis (). Stones can cause a number of medical conditions. So ...

Additional images

Male urinary meatus.jpg, The male urinary meatus viewed externally Skenes gland.jpg, The female urinary meatus viewed externally, with surrounding structures labelled

Notes

References

{{Authority control Urinary system Urethra