The female urethra is shorter than that in the male, being about 4 cm in length. It passes anterior to the vagina to open some 2.5 cm behind the clitoris.
As for men, sphincteric activity is determined by muscle within the urethral wall. The outer striated muscle layer, the rhabdosphincter, is thickest in the middle one third of the urethra.
Similarly, the urethra is lined with transitional epithelium proximally and squamous epithelium distally. In some women, however, squamous epithelium may occupy the entire urethra.
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