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Women Only
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The female urethra is about 3 - 4 cm long and the female urethral muscle is about 3 cm in length. In contrast, the male urethra is about 20 - 25 cm long and the male urethral muscle mass controlling his sphincter is over 6 cm long. It is just a much more powerful muscle system in males.
But the male advantage does not end there. The urethral sphincter muscles in females are located only on the sides of the urethra. In males the sphincter muscle totally surrounds the urethra and can totally clamp off the tube.
The sphincter on males in much more efficient. Because the treatment of urinary incontinence is a big medical business many tools and instruments have been developed in urology and are use in the science of urodynamics.
Small devices called micropiezometers can be inserted into the urethra to measure pressure generated when the patient "clamps down". On average females can exert a pressure equal to about 60 cm-water, while the average for a male urethra is 85 cm-water. This means when the bladder pressure in the average women reaches 60 cm-water she will lose urine involuntarily (unless she can use her finger to block her pee hole) while the average man would still be able to "hold it". Of course there is biological variability but while it is rare for a female to be able to generate pressures as high as 100 cm-water, some males can clamp down with a pressure of 185 cm-water.
In the question an answer session of an incontinence conference a noted European urologist made the comment that a male should be able to contain a full bladder about twice as long as a female due to this fact.
In fact some interesting things have happened as a result of this difference. In the 1980's when the United States military started letting women into combat positions a strange thing happened. About 15 - 20 % of the women who entered the airborne training experienced involuntary urine loss when they landed from a parachute jump. These women were young (18 - 23 years old), never pregnant and in excellent physical condition. The problem had never been seen in male paratroopers. Likewise 20 - 30% of female college-age atheletes in stress sports like basketball and volley ball have urine leakage problems when under stress. The clamp for holding pee is just not as efficient in females.
But the male advantage does not end there. The urethral sphincter muscles in females are located only on the sides of the urethra. In males the sphincter muscle totally surrounds the urethra and can totally clamp off the tube.
The sphincter on males in much more efficient. Because the treatment of urinary incontinence is a big medical business many tools and instruments have been developed in urology and are use in the science of urodynamics.
Small devices called micropiezometers can be inserted into the urethra to measure pressure generated when the patient "clamps down". On average females can exert a pressure equal to about 60 cm-water, while the average for a male urethra is 85 cm-water. This means when the bladder pressure in the average women reaches 60 cm-water she will lose urine involuntarily (unless she can use her finger to block her pee hole) while the average man would still be able to "hold it". Of course there is biological variability but while it is rare for a female to be able to generate pressures as high as 100 cm-water, some males can clamp down with a pressure of 185 cm-water.
In the question an answer session of an incontinence conference a noted European urologist made the comment that a male should be able to contain a full bladder about twice as long as a female due to this fact.
In fact some interesting things have happened as a result of this difference. In the 1980's when the United States military started letting women into combat positions a strange thing happened. About 15 - 20 % of the women who entered the airborne training experienced involuntary urine loss when they landed from a parachute jump. These women were young (18 - 23 years old), never pregnant and in excellent physical condition. The problem had never been seen in male paratroopers. Likewise 20 - 30% of female college-age atheletes in stress sports like basketball and volley ball have urine leakage problems when under stress. The clamp for holding pee is just not as efficient in females.
