HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Overview of your urinary system
Tirohanga whānui ki tō pūnaha mimi
Your urinary system includes two kidneys that remove waste products from your body and control the amount of water in your blood. The waste products and excess water form wee (urine).
Each kidney drains the wee into your bladder through a thin tube called the ureter.
Your bladder is a muscular storage sac-like organ that sits in your pelvis. It stores the wee until you're ready to empty it by going to the toilet. Your bladder gets bigger as it fills with wee. Your brain sends messages to your bladder telling it when to hold and when to empty the wee.
When you go to the toilet, your bladder muscles (called urethral sphincters) and your pelvic floor muscles relax. This allows your bladder to squeeze the wee out. The wee leaves your bladder through a thin tube called the urethra.
Your urethra and bladder make up your lower urinary tract. Your ureters and kidneys make up your upper urinary tract.
Symptoms of urinary system problems
Symptoms can include:
- leaking wee, known as urinary incontinence
- feeling the need to go more often, sometimes with only small amounts or nothing coming out
- pain or burning when you pass wee
- having blood in your wee
- needing to get up more than once at night.
In men, symptoms can also include:
- trouble starting the flow of wee
- trouble stopping the flow, or dribbling
- a weak stream.
Diagnosing urinary system problems
To diagnose urinary system problems, your general practice team will examine you and ask you questions about your general health. They may arrange tests including:
- a urine test to look for signs of infection and any abnormal cells
- a blood test to check for signs of infection and to check how well your kidneys are working
- an ultrasound or CT scan of your pelvis
- a cystoscopy, during which a small camera is passed into the bladder
- a biopsy, where a sample of your bladder tissue is taken during the cystoscopy and examined under a microscope. This checks for bladder cancer and other diseases
- urodynamic testing, which involves filling and emptying your bladder with water while taking pressure measurements.
They may also ask you to complete a bladder diary to see how often you go to the toilet and how much you drink.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed April 2023.
SourcesReview key: HIURS-53047
