Endocrine and Urinary Systems: Functions and Anatomy

Endocrine System

We are formed by a series of glands, whose main characteristic is the production of substances called hormones. These hormones, usually discharged into the blood, perform a variety of functions. They regulate the growth, development, and function of many tissues and coordinate the body's metabolic processes. The most important function is to maintain homeostasis. Some of these glands are:

Hypophysis

A small gland housed at the base of the skull in the center of the sphenoid bone (sella turcica). It produces growth hormone and antidiuretic hormone.

Thyroid

A gland in the neck, at the height of the first tracheal rings. It regulates the growth and maturation of tissues.

Parathyroid

There are four glands located in the back of the thyroid. They regulate blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.

Pancreas

This digestive organ also has the ability to produce hormones that influence metabolism, such as insulin with hypoglycemic action (a drop in blood glucose) and glucagon with an opposite, hyperglycemic action.

Adrenal Glands

Located on the upper pole of the kidney, they produce adrenaline.

Sex Glands

• Ovaries: Located on both sides of the uterus, they are responsible for the stimulation and maturation of eggs and secrete estrogen (they also produce progesterone, whose main role is to prepare for the implantation of the fertilized ovum and to maintain pregnancy).
• Testicles: Mainly produce androgens and testosterone, which is responsible for male sexual differentiation, spermatogenesis, and male characteristics (voice, hair type, etc.).

Urinary System

The system responsible for maintaining the chemical composition of blood, eliminating waste products and excess water and salts.

It consists of:

• Kidneys
• Ureters
• Bladder
• Urethra

Kidneys

Two bean-shaped organs, housed in the lower back. Usually, the left kidney is placed a little higher than the right.

Microscopically, the kidney is formed by a huge number of structures called nephrons, each formed by the renal glomerulus that connects a series of tubes. These structures filter blood and extract waste products and excess water and salt, forming urine.

Ureters

A couple of tubes consisting mainly of smooth muscle whose mission is to conduct urine from the kidney to the bladder. They are about 25 cm long.

Urinary Bladder

A hollow organ with thick, involuntary muscular walls. It serves as a receptacle for urine, and its capacity is about 350 cc.

Urethra

Located in both sexes at the bottom of the bladder, like the mouth of a funnel. It is shorter in women than in men, where the first portion of the urethra is surrounded by a gland called the prostate.

The urethra is the last section that urine runs through before its departure to the exterior.