Ureters Get No Love

I never anticipated how many people would ask me, "what's a ureter?" I suppose I didn't have a clue till nursing school either, but if you're one of those people in the dark, here's a little diagram (image courtesy of U.S. National Library of Medicine).

The ureter itself isn't very interesting, but the kidneys are one hot ticket of an organ. They regulate both the volume and composition of fluid in the body by retaining or excreting fluid, and increasing or decreasing blood pressure depending on if they're being poorly or overly perfused by the circulatory system. They also excrete wastes from the body, and are vital in both red blood cell formation and vitamin D use to create healthy bones.

If they have too much fluid in them (hydronephrosis), they get angry and take it out on the entire body. The ureters are so important because they allow the kidneys to drain out waste. Imagine what happens when you don't empty your trash. First, it just over-flows, but then it stinks up your house and gross little critters start showing up. Maybe that's too harsh an analogy, because after all, mom has another kidney and ureter that is working perfectly and keeping everything in order, but no wonder she doesn't feel 100%.

So this is an important set of organs weighing in at only 4 to 6 ounces a piece! So give your kidneys and ureters a little love today and have an extra glass of H2O.