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The bladder is a hollow, muscular, balloon-like organ that collects and stores urine. It is in the lower part of the abdomen (the pelvis).
The bladder is connected to the kidneys by tubes called ureters, and it opens to the outside of the body through a tube called the urethra. In women the urethra is a short tube that lies in front of the vagina. In men the urethra is longer and passes through the prostate gland to the tip of the penis.
The position of the bladder
View a large copy of the position of the bladder image|
The inside of the bladder is covered with a urine-proof lining called the urothelium, which stops urine from being absorbed back into the body. The cells that make up this lining are called transitional cells or urothelial cells.
Our kidneys - most people have two - produce urine, which is made up of water and waste products that the body doesn’t need. The urine travels from the kidneys through the ureters to the bladder where it is stored. Once the bladder is full, it sends messages (nerve signals) to the brain so that you feel the need to empty your bladder. When you are ready to do this, the bladder muscle contracts and squeezes the urine out of the body through the urethra.
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