Urethra/Urethral Opening

Urethra/Urethral Opening

Sex Therapy in Center City Philadelphia

written by the Center for Growth Staff

The urethra is the tube that leads from the bladder to the outside of the body. The urethral opening is the orifice from which urine and ejaculate escape the body.

Location of Urethral Opening In female bodies, the urethral opening is located between the clitoris and vaginal opening. While some female bodied people may be able to visually locate their urethra, others may not be able to see their urethral opening. It is important to note that the urethra is a separate opening than the vaginal opening, and urine does not escape from the vagina. It is theorized that female ejaculate is either released through the urethral opening or from a series of glands that surround the urethral opening. In male bodies, the urethral opening is generally located at the end of the glans (tip) of the penis. Some medical conditions (i.e. hypospadius) can result in the urethra being abnormally located.

Pleasure Physiology During arousal, some female bodied people enjoy direct stimulation of the urethra as it provides indirect clitoral stimulation. Stimulating the urethra may result in a feeling of needing to void the bladder, but that feeling may pass if voiding isn’t necessary. Some male-bodied people also enjoy stimulation of the urethra during arousal. While some prefer shallow stimulation, others prefer deeper stimulation.

Important Note: If anything is being placed into the urethra during play, ensure that it has been sterilized, will not leave any matter behind, and cannot break.

The Urethra and Infection Urethral infection is more common in female bodied people than male bodied people. In addition, because the female bodied urethra is shorter in length than the male bodied urethra, the bacteria causing these infections have a greater chance of traveling to the bladder, causing bladder infections. A common sign of urethral infection is burning during urination.* Cloudy urine or urine with blood in it* can be a sign that the infection has traveled to the bladder. In terms of sexual activity, urinating before and after penetrative sex helps to flush the bacteria from the urethra, reducing the risk of urethral infection. Also, one can avoid infection by not touching the urethral area after touching the anus/rectum. Drinking adequate amounts of water, practicing regular hygiene, and not ‘holding it’ when one needs to urinate are other ways to prevent infection.

*This may also be a sign of an STI. Going to a clinician for testing will help to determine the exact cause of symptoms.