Function
In addition to the internal and external sphincters, in males the urethra extends to the end of the penis, where it opens up to the outside.
The levator ani, the voluntary muscle of the pelvic floor, can be used to control urination. In females this muscle may be damaged, most commonly by childbirth, leading to weakness of the sphincter mechanism and stress incontinence. Kegel exercises are a form of exercise intended to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. They are also known as Pelvic Floor Muscle Training.
Read more about this topic: Urethral Sphincter
Famous quotes containing the word function:
“The function of the actor is to make the audience imagine for the moment that real things are happening to real people.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error.”
—Robert H. [Houghwout] Jackson (1892–1954)
“Morality and its victim, the mother—what a terrible picture! Is there indeed anything more terrible, more criminal, than our glorified sacred function of motherhood?”
—Emma Goldman (1869–1940)