Sex, Etc. -- What is the urethra?

What is the urethra?

The urethra is a tube that carries urine (girls and guys) and semen (only guys) from inside the body to the outside. Both guys and girls have urethras. It is easier to see on guys because it is visible at the end of the penis. A girls' urethra is usually hidden from view by her labia (vaginal lips). You can read more about the vulva here. Most of the questions we get are about guys' urethras.

For guys, the urethra is inside the penis and allows semen (cum) and urine to leave the body. When a guy is sexually excited and gets an erection, a valve shuts off the passageway between the bladder, where urine is stored, and the urethra. This makes it impossible for a guy to urinate (pee) and ejaculate at the same time.

When a guy gets an erection, a gland inside the scrotum releases a fluid that comes out of the tip of the penis. This clear, sticky stuff is called pre-ejaculatory fluid. Pre-cum cleans out the inside of the urethra.

The fluid makes the urethra less acidic and gives the sperm a better shot at surviving the trip from the male's testicles into the female's body, in search of an egg. Pre-cum fluid does not usually contain sperm.

But if live sperm are inside a guy's urethra (because he ejaculated recently), the pre-cum can "pick up" the leftover sperm on its way through the urethra and out of the penis. If a guy pees after he ejaculates, that would kill leftover sperm. Pre-cum can carry sexually transmitted diseases, though, so a guy who's about to have intercourse should put on a condom as soon as he gets an erection.

Your Comments

RE: agree on this

Posted by: DanR on Aug 26th, 2008 2:33pm

I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you. No one
should ever be forced to have sex against their will. Even
though you are back with the guy, I hope you will consider
going to a local clinic and just getting a check up to make
sure you are in good health. Here is a link so you can find
a clinic near you: http://www.sexetc.org/page/get_tested/.
Please think about talking to a trusted adult about what is
going on for you.

agree on this

Posted by: giffy07 on Aug 23rd, 2008 10:10pm

i had sex and i got raped andi am back with him! he got my
trust back and he peed when he ejected sperm in me i took
the unwanted sperm out of me so i would not get pregnant!

Urinating whilst masturbating?: Response

Posted by: StacieS on Aug 30th, 2007 2:56pm

Hmmm. Guys cannot urinate and ejaculate at the same time. It
would be nearly impossible for most guys/girls to urinate
whilst they were masturbating because the action needed to
close the uretha off from the bladder (pee) and open it to
ejaculate is involuntary. Maybe with tons of practice he/she
could learn how to do this voluntarily? Why would you want
to? As you know, some women ejaculate liquid through their
urethras. Generally, women can suppress or release their
ejaculate with practice.

Urinating whilst masturbating?

Posted by: Timmy!! on Aug 30th, 2007 12:29pm

Can a girl/guy urinate whilst masturbating?

Urinate after Ejaculation?

Posted by: luvmybabies on Aug 4th, 2007 6:40pm

Is it normal for a guy to always urinate after
ejaculation...either from masturbation or intercourse? Do
most guys do this as well?

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