The process of forming urine that you need to know

Urine is a byproduct of metabolism through the secretion process from the kidneys which is then excreted from the body through the urinary tract. Urine usually contains substances that are no longer needed by the body, so it needs to be excreted because it can poison the body.

So, what is the process of urine formation?

Anatomy of the human urinary system

The urinary system (urinaria) consists of various organs, from the kidneys to the urethra, the passage through which urine passes.

If one or more of these organs has urological problems, the urine formation process is also disturbed. Recognize what organs work in the process of forming urine in the human body.

Kidney

The kidneys are one of the important organs in the formation of urine. These two bean-shaped organs are located under the ribs close to the middle of the back. There are several kidney functions that contribute so that you can urinate as follows.

• Removes waste and excess fluid from the body.
• Balancing water and electrolyte levels in the body.
• Releases hormones that control the production of red blood cells.
• Helps maintain bone health by controlling calcium and phosphorus.

The kidneys will then remove urea from the blood through small filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron usually consists of a sphere formed from tiny blood capillaries (glomerulus) and small tubes (renal tubules).

Along with water and other wastes, urea will form urine as it passes through the nephrons and into the kidney tubules.

Ureter

The ureters are two small tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. The muscles in the walls of the ureters will usually continue to tighten and relax to allow urine to pass down from the kidneys.

If the urine comes back up or is left alone, kidney disease such as kidney infection can occur. Every 10-15 seconds, small amounts of urine will flow from the ureters to the bladder.

Bladder

The bladder is a hollow organ that is triangular in shape and is located in the lower abdomen. This organ is held in place by ligaments that attach to other organs and the bones of the pelvis.

The bladder wall will also relax and tighten so that urine can be stored. A healthy bladder can usually store up to 300-500 ml of urine for 2-5 hours.

Therefore, it is important to maintain the health of the bladder so that the urine formation process is not disturbed and your urination remains smooth.

Urethra

Urine that has been produced by the kidneys and moved from the ureter and bladder will eventually be excreted through the urethra. This organ known as the urinary tract connects the bladder to the urinary tract at the tip of the penis or vagina.

Normally, the urethra is about 20 cm in length in men. Meanwhile, the size of the urethra in women has a length of about 4 cm. Between the bladder and urethra is equipped with a muscle ring (sphincter) as an organ that keeps urine from leaking.

Urine formation process

Source: Biology Forums

The formation of urine usually consists of three stages, namely filtration (filtering), reabsorption (re-absorption), and augmentation or secretion (collection).

Filtration (filtering)

This urine formation process is carried out with the help of the kidneys. Each kidney has about one million nephrons, where urine is formed.

At any given time, about 20 percent of the blood will pass through the kidneys to be filtered. This is done so that the body can remove metabolic waste substances (waste) and maintain fluid balance, blood pH, and blood levels.

The blood filtering process begins in the kidneys. Blood that contains metabolic waste will be filtered because it can be toxic to the body.

This stage occurs in the malphigi body which consists of glomerulus and Bowman's capsule. The glomerulus is in charge of filtering water, salt, glucose, amino acids, urea, and other wastes so that they can pass through the Bowman capsule.

The result of this filtering is then referred to as primary urine. Primary urine including urea in it, is the result of ammonia that has accumulated. This occurs when the liver processes amino acids and is filtered by the glomerulus.

Reabsorption

After filtration, the next urine formation process is reabsorption, that is, re-filtering. About 43 gallons of liquid go through the filtration process. However, most of it will be reabsorbed before being expelled from the body.

The absorption of the fluid is carried out in the proximal tubule of the nephron, distal tubule, and collecting tubule.

Water, glucose, amino acids, sodium and other nutrients are reabsorbed into the bloodstream in the capillaries surrounding the tubules. After that, water moves through the osmosis process, which is the movement of water from an area of ​​high concentration to a lower concentration. The result of this process is secondary urine.

In general, all of the glucose is reabsorbed. However, this does not apply to diabetics because excess glucose will remain in the filtrate.

Sodium and other ions are incompletely reabsorbed and a large amount remains in the filtrate.

This condition can occur when a person consumes more food, resulting in a higher blood concentration. Hormones regulate the active transport process, ie ions such as sodium and phosphorus, are reabsorbed.

Secretion or augmentation

Secretion is the last stage of the urine formation process. Some substances flow directly from the blood around the distal tubule and collecting tubules into these tubules.

This stage is also part of the body's mechanism to maintain the acid-base pH balance in the body. Potassium ions, calcium ions, and ammonia also go through a secretion process, like some drugs. This is done so that the chemical compounds in the blood also remain balanced.

This process is carried out by increasing the secretion of substances, such as potassium and calcium, when the concentration is high. In addition, reabsorption (reabsorption) is also increased and it reduces secretions when the concentration is low.

The urine made by this process then flows into the middle part of the kidney called the pelvis, where it flows into the ureters and then deposits in the bladder. Furthermore, urine flows into the urethra and will come out when you urinate.

Substances contained in urine

After getting to know the stages of urine formation, you may want to identify what substances are contained in urine. The reason is, when blood passes through the kidneys, water and other compounds, such as protein and glucose, return to the blood.

Meanwhile, the waste and excess liquid will be disposed of. As a result, this process produces urine which consists of several substances, namely:

• water,
• urea, a waste that is formed when protein is broken down,
• urochrome, the pigmented blood that makes the urine yellow,
• salt,
• creatinine,
• ammonia, and
• other compounds that bile produces from the liver.

Therefore, normal urine is usually clear yellow.

Tips for maintaining a healthy urinary system

The process of forming urine will not run smoothly if one or more of the related organs is damaged. Therefore, it is important for you to maintain the health of their urinary system in the following ways.

• Fulfill your daily fluid needs by drinking 8 glasses of water per day.
• Live a healthy diet, such as increasing lean protein.
• Exercise regularly, especially doing Kegel exercises to tone your pelvic muscles.
• Not holding urine to prevent the risk of urinary tract infections.
• Urinate after sex to flush out the bacteria in the urethra.

If you experience symptoms related to urological disease, consult a doctor immediately. That way, you may be advised to undergo a urine test to diagnose the disease you are experiencing.