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[[Image:Manneken Pis Brussel.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''[[Manneken Pis]]'', bronze sculpture]]
'''Urination''', also known as '''micturition''', '''voiding''', '''peeing''', and more rarely, '''emiction''', is the process of disposing of [[urine]] from the [[urinary bladder]] through the [[urethra]] to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control. In [[infants]], elderly individuals and those with neurological injury, urination may occur as an [[involuntary]] [[reflex]]. In other [[Kingdom (biology)|animals]], in addition to urination serving the purpose of expulsion of waste material, the act can serve to [[territorial marking|mark territory]] or express [[submissiveness]]. Physiologically, micturition involves coordination between the [[central nervous system|central]], [[autonomic nervous system|autonomic]] and [[somatic nervous system]]s. Brain centers that regulate urination include the [[pontine micturition center]], [[periaqueductal gray]], and the [[cerebral cortex]].

==Anatomy of the bladder and outlet==
[[Image:Gray1140.png|The interior of bladder|thumb]]
{{Main|Urinary bladder|urethra}}

The main organs involved in urination are the [[bladder]] and the [[urethra]]. The [[smooth muscle]] of the bladder, known as the [[detrusor]], is innervated by [[sympathetic|sympathetic nervous system]] fibers from the [[lumbar]] [[spinal cord]] and [[parasympathetic]] fibers from the [[sacral]] spinal cord.<ref>[http://www1.va.gov/SpinalCordBoston/page.cfm?pg=21 Urinary Incontinence âEUR" Part 2 - Boston Spinal Cord<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Fibers in the [[pelvic nerve]]s constitute the main afferent limb of the voiding reflex; the parasympathetic fibers to the bladder that constitute the excitatory efferent limb also travel in these nerves. Part of the urethra is surrounded by the [[external urethral sphincter]], which is innervated by the somatic [[pudendal nerve]] originating in the  cord, in an area termed [[Onuf's nucleus]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rajaofetra N, Passagia JG, Marlier L, ''et al'' |title=Serotoninergic, noradrenergic, and peptidergic innervation of Onuf's nucleus of normal and transected spinal cords of baboons (Papio papio) |journal=J. Comp. Neurol. |volume=318 |issue=1 |pages=1–17 |year=1992 |month=April |pmid=1374763 |doi=10.1002/cne.903180102 }}</ref>

Smooth muscle bundles pass on either side of the urethra, and these fibers are sometimes called the [[internal urethral sphincter]], although they do not encircle the urethra. Farther along the urethra is a sphincter of skeletal muscle, the sphincter of the membranous urethra (external urethral sphincter). The bladder's epithelium is termed [[transitional epithelium]] which contains a superficial layer of dome-like cells and multiple layers of stratified cuboidal cells underneath when evacuated. When the bladder is fully distended the superficial cells become squamous (flat) and the stratification of the cuboidal is reduced in order to provide lateral stretching.

==Physiology==
The physiology of micturition and the physiologic basis of its disorders are subjects about which there is much confusion, especially at the supraspinal level. Micturition is fundamentally a spinobulbospinal reflex facilitated and inhibited by higher brain centers such as the [[pontine micturition center]] and, like [[defecation]], subject to voluntary facilitation and inhibition.<ref name=yoshimura>{{cite journal |author=Yoshimura N, Chancellor MB |title=Neurophysiology of lower urinary tract function and dysfunction |journal=Rev Urol |volume=5 |issue=Suppl 8 |pages=S3–S10 |year=2003 |pmid=16985987 |pmc=1502389 }}</ref>

In healthy individuals, the lower urinary tract has two discrete phases of activity: the storage (or guarding) phase, when urine is stored in the bladder; and the voiding phase, when urine is released through the urethra. The state of the reflex system is dependent on both a conscious signal from the brain and the firing rate of sensory fibers from the bladder and urethra.<ref name=yoshimura/> At low bladder volumes, afferent firing is low, resulting in excitation of the outlet (the sphincter and urethra), and relaxation of the bladder.<ref>{{cite journal |author=de Groat WC, Ryall RW |title=Reflexes to sacral parasympathetic neurones concerned with micturition in the cat |journal=J. Physiol. (Lond.) |volume=200 |issue=1 |pages=87–108 |year=1969 |month=January |pmid=5248885 |pmc=1350419 |url=http://www.jphysiol.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=5248885}}</ref> At high bladder volumes, afferent firing increases, causing a conscious sensation of urinary urge. When the individual is ready to urinate, he or she consciously initiates voiding, causing the bladder to contract and the outlet to relax. Voiding continues until the bladder empties completely, at which point the bladder relaxes and the outlet contracts to re-initiate storage.<ref name=yoshimura/> The muscles controlling micturition are controlled by the [[autonomic nervous system|autonomic]] and somatic nervous systems. During the storage phase the internal urethral sphincter remains tense and the detrusor muscle relaxed by [[sympathetic nervous system|sympathetic]] stimulation. During micturition, [[parasympathetic nervous system|parasympathetic]] stimulation causes the detrusor muscle to contract and the internal urethral sphincter to relax. The external urethral sphincter (sphincter urethrae) is under somatic control and is consciously relaxed during micturition.   

It is commonly believed that in infants, voiding occurs involuntarily (as a reflex). However, the practice of [[elimination communication]] suggests otherwise.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} The ability to voluntarily inhibit micturition develops by the age of 2–3 years, as control at higher levels of the central nervous system develops. In the adult, the volume of urine in the bladder that normally initiates a reflex contraction is about 300-400 ml.

===Storage phase===
During storage, bladder pressure stays low, because of the bladder's highly compliant nature. A plot of bladder (intravesical) pressure against the depressant of fluid in the bladder (called a [[cystometrogram]]) will show a very slight rise as the bladder is filled. This phenomenon is a manifestation of the [[law of Laplace]], which states that the pressure in a spherical viscus is equal to twice the wall tension divided by the radius. In the case of the bladder, the tension increases as the organ fills, but so does the radius. Therefore, the pressure increase is slight until the organ is relatively full. The bladder's smooth muscle has some inherent contractile activity; however, when its nerve supply is intact, stretch receptors in the bladder wall initiate a reflex contraction that has a lower threshold than the inherent contractile response of the muscle.

Action potentials carried by sensory neurons from stretch receptors in the urinary bladder wall travel to the sacral segments of the spinal cord through the pelvic nerves.<ref name=yoshimura/> Since bladder wall stretch is low during the storage phase, these afferent neurons fire at low frequencies. Low-frequency afferent signals cause relaxation of the bladder by inhibiting sacral parasympathetic preganglionic neurons and exciting lumbar sympathetic preganglionic neurons. Conversely, afferent input causes contraction of the sphincter through excitation of Onuf's nucleus, and contraction of the bladder neck and urethra through excitation of the sympathetic preganglionic neurons.

[[Diuresis]] (production of urine by the kidney) occurs constantly, and as the bladder becomes full, afferent firing increases, yet the micturition reflex can be voluntarily inhibited until it is appropriate to begin voiding.

===Voiding phase===
Voiding begins when a voluntary signal is sent from the brain to begin urination, and continues until the bladder is empty. 

Bladder afferent signals ascend the spinal cord to the [[periaqueductal gray]], where they project both to the [[pontine micturition center]] and to the cerebrum.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Blok BF, Holstege G |title=Direct projections from the periaqueductal gray to the pontine micturition center (M-region). An anterograde and retrograde tracing study in the cat |journal=Neurosci. Lett. |volume=166 |issue=1 |pages=93–6 |year=1994 |month=January |pmid=7514777 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0304-3940(94)90848-6 |doi=10.1016/0304-3940(94)90848-6}}</ref> At a certain level of afferent activity, the conscious urge to void becomes difficult to ignore. Once the voluntary signal to begin voiding has been issued, neurons in pontine micturition center fire maximally, causing excitation of sacral preganglionic neurons. The firing of these neurons causes the wall of the bladder to contract; as a result, a sudden, sharp rise in intravesical pressure occurs. The pontine micturition center also causes inhibition of Onuf's nucleus, resulting in relaxation of the external urinary sphincter.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Sie JA, Blok BF, de Weerd H, Holstege G |title=Ultrastructural evidence for direct projections from the pontine micturition center to glycine-immunoreactive neurons in the sacral dorsal gray commissure in the cat |journal=J. Comp. Neurol. |volume=429 |issue=4 |pages=631–7 |year=2001 |month=January |pmid=11135240 |doi=10.1002/1096-9861(20010122)429:4<631::AID-CNE9>3.0.CO;2-M}}</ref> When the external urinary sphincter is relaxed urine is released from the urinary bladder when the pressure there is great enough to force urine to flow out of the urethra. The micturition reflex normally produces a series of contractions of the urinary bladder.

The flow of urine through the urethra has an overall excitatory role in micturition, which helps sustain voiding until the bladder is empty.<ref>[http://www.jurology.com/pt/re/juro/fulltext.00005392-199907000-00069.htm Elsevier<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

After urination, the female urethra empties by gravity. Urine remaining in the urethra of the male is expelled by several contractions of the [[bulbospongiosus muscle]].

===Voluntary control===

The mechanism by which voluntary urination is initiated remains unsettled.<ref>{{cite journal |author=DasGupta R, Kavia RB, Fowler CJ |title=Cerebral mechanisms and voiding function |journal=BJU Int. |volume=99 |issue=4 |pages=731–4 |year=2007 |month=April |pmid=17378838 |doi=10.1111/j.1464-410X.2007.06749.x |url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2007.06749.x}}</ref> One possibility is that the voluntary relaxation of the muscles of the pelvic floor causes a sufficient downward tug on the [[detrusor muscle]] to initiate its contraction.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Kinder MV, Bastiaanssen EH, Janknegt RA, Marani E |title=Neuronal circuitry of the lower urinary tract; central and peripheral neuronal control of the micturition cycle |journal=Anat. Embryol. |volume=192 |issue=3 |pages=195–209 |year=1995 |month=September |pmid=8651504 |doi=10.1007/BF00184744 |url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/vr21603134r7ux15/}}</ref> Another possibility is the excitation or disinhibition of neurons in the pontine micturition center, which causes concurrent contraction of the bladder and relaxation of the sphincter.<ref name=yoshimura/>

There is an inhibitory area for micturition in the midbrain. After transection of the brain stem just above the pons, the threshold is lowered and less bladder filling is required to trigger it, whereas after transection at the top of the midbrain, the threshold for the reflex is essentially normal. There is another facilitatory area in the posterior hypothalamus. In humans with lesions in the superior frontal gyrus, the desire to urinate is reduced and there is also difficulty in stopping micturition once it has commenced. However, stimulation experiments in animals indicate that other cortical areas also affect the process.

The bladder can be made to contract by voluntary facilitation of the spinal voiding reflex when it contains only a few milliliters of urine. Voluntary contraction of the [[abdominal muscles]] aids the expulsion of urine by increasing the pressure applied to the urinary bladder wall, but voiding can be initiated without straining even when the bladder is nearly empty.

Voiding can also be consciously interrupted once it has begun, through a contraction of the perineal muscles and the external sphincter can be contracted voluntarily, which will prevent urine from passing down the urethra.

The other way around, voiding can be facilitated by immersing a hand in a cup or sink full of warm water.<ref name=suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational>[http://www.suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/factsheetmeds.html Fact Sheet: A Consumer's Guide To Managing Side Effects Of Psychiatric Medications] Section: Coping with Trouble Urinating</ref> The mechanism is unclear. The phenomenon (and perhaps [[immersion diuresis]]) has given rise to the trick of immersing the hand of a sleeping person in water to make this victim urinate in sleep, although the efficacy of the trick is disputed.

===Experience of urination===
The need to urinate is experienced as an uncomfortable, full, feeling. It is highly correlated with the fullness of the bladder.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Oliver S, Fowler C, Mundy A, Craggs M |title=Measuring the sensations of urge and bladder filling during cystometry in urge incontinence and the effects of neuromodulation |journal=Neurourol. Urodyn. |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=7–16 |year=2003 |pmid=12478595 |doi=10.1002/nau.10082 }}</ref> In males the feeling of the need to urinate can be sensed at the base of the penis, even though the neural activity associated with a full bladder comes from the bladder itself.  In females the need to urinate is felt in the lower abdomen region when the bladder is full. When the bladder becomes too full, the sphincter muscles will involuntarily relax, allowing urine to pass from the bladder.

Release of urine is experienced as a lessening of the uncomfortable, full, feeling. In most people this release is experienced as a relief.

[[Post-micturition convulsion syndrome]], the feeling of a shiver running down the spine following urination, occurs in most males and many females.<ref>[http://www.voltier.com/peeshiver/ TheirToys Sex Toys - TheirToys.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
{{clear}}

==Disorders==
[[Image:Konstantinderafrikaner.jpg|thumb|People showing the physician [[Constantine the African]] urine samples for diagnosis]]
===Clinical conditions===
Many clinical conditions can cause disturbances to normal urination. Here is a partial list:

* [[Urinary incontinence]], or the inability to hold urine
** Stress urinary incontinence, incontinence that occurs as a result of external mechanical disturbances
** Urge urinary incontinence, incontinence that occurs as a result of the uncontrollable urge to urinate
** Mixed urinary incontinence, a combination of the two types of incontinence
* [[Urinary retention]], the inability to initiate urination
* [[Overactive bladder]], a strong urge to urinate, usually accompanied by detrusor overactivity
* [[Interstitial cystitis]], a condition characterized by urinary frequency, urgency, and pain
* [[Prostatitis]], an inflammation of the prostate gland that can cause urinary frequency, urgency, and pain
* [[Benign prostatic hyperplasia]], an enlargement of the prostate that can cause urinary frequency, urgency, retention, and the dribbling of urine
* [[Urinary tract infection]], which can cause urinary frequency and [[dysuria]]
* [[Oliguria]] refers to a low urine output, usually due to a problem with the upper urinary tract 
* [[Anuria]] refers to absent or almost absent urine output.
* [[Paruresis]] is the inability to urinate in the presence of others, such as in a public restroom.

===Experimentally induced disorders===
There are three major types of bladder dysfunction due to neural lesions: (1) the type due to interruption of the afferent nerves from the bladder; (2) the type due to interruption of both afferent and efferent nerves; and (3) the type due to interruption of facilitatory and inhibitory pathways descending from the brain. In all three types the bladder contracts, but the contractions are generally not sufficient to empty the viscus completely, and residual urine is left in the bladder. [[Paruresis]], also known as shy bladder syndrome, is an example of a bladder interruption from the brain that often causes total interruption until the person has left a public area.

====Effects of deafferentation====
When the sacral dorsal roots are cut in experimental animals or interrupted by diseases of the dorsal roots such as tabes dorsalis in humans, all reflex contractions of the bladder are abolished. The bladder becomes distended, thin-walled, and hypotonic, but there are some contractions because of the intrinsic response of the smooth muscle to stretch.

====Effects of denervation====
When the afferent and efferent nerves are both destroyed, as they may be by tumors of the cauda equina or filum terminale, the bladder is flaccid and distended for a while. Gradually, however, the muscle of the "decentralized bladder" becomes active, with many contraction waves that expel dribbles of urine out of the urethra. The bladder becomes shrunken and the bladder wall hypertrophied. The reason for the difference between the small, hypertrophic bladder seen in this condition and the distended, hypotonic bladder seen when only the afferent nerves are interrupted is not known. The hyperactive state in the former condition suggests the development of denervation hypersensitization even though the neurons interrupted are preganglionic rather than postganglionic. 

====Effects of spinal cord transection====
During spinal shock, the bladder is flaccid and unresponsive. It becomes overfilled, and urine dribbles through the sphincters (overflow incontinence). After spinal shock has passed, the voiding reflex returns, although there is, of course, no voluntary control and no inhibition or facilitation from higher centers when the spinal cord is transected. Some paraplegic patients train themselves to initiate voiding by pinching or stroking their thighs, provoking a mild mass reflex. In some instances, the voiding reflex becomes hyperactive. Bladder capacity is reduced, and the wall becomes hypertrophied. This type of bladder is sometimes called the spastic neurogenic bladder. The reflex hyperactivity is made worse by, and may be caused by, infection in the bladder wall.

== Techniques ==
[[File:Gray1142.png|right|thumb|180px|Location of external urethral orifice in adult human male]]
Due to [[sexual dimorphism]], and the positions where the [[urethra]] ends, males and females use different techniques for urination.

=== Male urination ===
Because of the flexible and protruding nature of the [[penis]], it is simple to control the direction of the urine stream. This makes it easy to urinate while [[standing (position)|standing]]; most males urinate this way. Extant foreskin (acropostheon) may block the direct path of the outgoing stream by causing [[turbulence]], resulting in a slower but thicker stream of urine that may also dribble. A retracted or absent foreskin may have a more focused stream of urine that travels at the same speed as it exits the [[urethra]]. When a male is done urinating, he will usually shake and/or gently squeeze his penis to expel the excess urine trapped in the opening of the foreskin or on the [[Glans penis|glans]]. [[Trousers]] commonly have a [[fly (clothing)|fly]] allowing men to urinate without lowering the whole trousers. Trousers without a fly, like some jogging trousers, usually have an elastic waist band allowing the male to lower the front side like underpants. Some men also urinate sitting down, especially if defecation has to be done at the same time.

=== Female urination ===
[[Image:Gray1229.png|thumb|left|240px|Location of external urethral orifice in adult human female]]
In females, the urethra opens straight into the [[vulva]]. Because of this, the urine does not exit at a distance from the body and is therefore hard to control. Hence, urination will normally have to take place while [[sitting]] down. When not urinating into a toilet, [[squatting position|squatting]] is the easiest way for a female to direct the urine stream. If done this way, the urine will go forward downwards. Some females use one or both hands to focus the direction of the urine stream, which is more easily achieved while in the squatting position.

It is also possible for many females to urinate standing while spreading their legs. This technique is not uncommon for a female who wears a [[sarong]], [[skirt]], or other such open bottomed garments, and either wears no underwear, or removes it. In Africa, even [[sign]]s which forbid public urination often show a picture of a female urinating like this.<ref>http://www.bigfoto.com/africa/ghana/ghana-66.jpg</ref> [[Laos]] is a country where it is common for women to urinate standing.<ref>http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-27609.html</ref> There are reports that seem to indicate that in [[Togo]] women urinate using this method, while men do it squatting.<ref>http://jetcityjimbo.net/awful_wonderful/45.shtml</ref> [[Herodotus]] described a similar custom in [[ancient Egypt]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/arts/10conn.html|title=Herodotus - The Histories - Connections|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 December 2007|accessdate=23 January 2010 | first=Edward | last=Rothstein}}</ref> Though uncommon, it is also possible for females to urinate standing up, in a way similar to that of males. This may be done by spreading the [[labia minora]] open and orienting the [[pelvis]] at an angle, and rapidly forcing the urine stream out.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20030604104917/http://restrooms.org/standing.html|title=http://web.archive.org/web/20030604104917/http://restrooms.org/standing.html}}</ref> Reports indicate that it is common that women in the [[Ivory Coast]] use this method when they urinate.<ref>http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Cote-d-Ivoire/South/Abidjan/blog-234347.html.</ref> Some sources seem to indicate that women urinate this way in West Africa in general.<ref>www.experienceproject.com/mobile/stories/Pee/528391?aok=t</ref> Other reports indicate, however, that it seems to be less common for women to urinate standing in West Africa,<ref>http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/crcl/vol40_1/ehrenreich.pdf</ref> while it has been reported that it is common that women urinate standing up in the streets in [[Malawi]].<ref>http://sophie-jama.blogspot.com/</ref> An alternative method for women to urinate standing is to use a tool known as a [[female urination device]] to assist.<ref>[http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story/Women-Can-Go-Like-Men-Now/W7k5svWHyUixK3RabtrJBg.cspx Women Can 'Go' Like Men Now!], ABC 2 News, Maryland, September 3, 2009</ref>

=== Urination after injury ===
Occasionally, if a male's penis is damaged or removed, or a female's genitals/urinary tract is damaged, other urination techniques must be used. Most often in such cases, doctors will reposition the urethra to a location where urination can still be accomplished, usually in a position that would only promote urination while seated/squatting, though a permanent [[urinary catheterization|urinary catheter]] may be used in rare cases.{{clr}}

== Social factors ==
===Toilet training===
[[Baby|Babies]] have no socialized control over urination within societies that do not practice [[elimination communication]] and instead use [[diapers]].  [[Toilet training]] is the process of learning to restrict urination to socially approved times and situations. Consequently, young children sometimes suffer from [[nocturnal enuresis]].<ref>Review of Medical Physiology, twentieth edition, William F. Ganong, MD</ref>

===Toilets===
[[Image:Philadelphia Public Toilet.jpg|thumb|Toilet outside the [[Philadelphia City Hall]]]]
It is socially more accepted and more environmentally hygienic for adults and older children to urinate in a [[toilet]]. In some countries, public toilets are separated for men and women, and may be partitioned for reasons of cultural [[modesty]].

===Urinals===
{{Main|Urinal (restroom)}}
Public restrooms may have [[Urinal (restroom)|urinal]]s for male users. Female urinals, though rare, allow females to urinate while standing through the use of a special tool<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.travelmateinfo.com/page002.html |title=http://www.travelmateinfo.com/page002.html}}</ref> or through the finger-assist method.<ref name="autogenerated1" />  Urinals for either sex may have partitions between them in order to increase [[privacy]].  People with a mild form of [[paruresis]], or "shy bladder syndrome," may have difficulty urinating in the presence of others and will consequently avoid using urinals directly adjacent to another person.  Alternatively, they may opt for the privacy of a stall or simply avoid public restrooms altogether.

===Urination without facilities===
Acceptability of outdoor urination in a public place other than at a public urinal varies with the situation and with customs. Typically males do this standing up, while females [[Squatting position|squat]]. Potential disadvantages include the smell of urine, and some exposure of genitals. The latter can be unpleasant for the one who exposes them ([[modesty]], lack of [[privacy]]) and/or those who can see them; it can be avoided or mitigated by going to a quiet place, and/or, for males, facing a tree or wall and for females, hiding the back behind walls, bushes, or a tree. The more developed and crowded a place is the more urination tends to be objectionable. In the countryside it is more acceptable than in a street in a town. In the latter case it is a common transgression. Often this is done after the consumption of [[alcoholic beverages]]. The alcohol causes production of additional urine as well as a reduction of [[Social inhibition|inhibition]]s. In most places, public urination is punishable by fine, though attitudes vary widely by country.

It is common to find both men and women urinating outdoors in Vietnam,<ref>[http://www.abroadview.org/asia/ginsberg.htm Abroad View: A Microcosm of Vietnam - Embracing Vietnamese culture bump by bump<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Laos and Cambodia,<ref>[http://detailsaresketchy.wordpress.com/2006/10/29/restroom-break/ Restroom break « Cambodia: Details are Sketchy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Reader2007/reader4179.htm</ref><ref>http://radicalchange.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/cambodia-a-wayfarers-journey/</ref><ref>http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=149258&go=tasha</ref> and, in one report, also in the United Kingdom,<ref>http://www.wearvalleymercury.co.uk/wear-valley-news/story,1513.html</ref> because of lack of toilet facilities. However in India women are told to control urine, whereas men of all ages urinate in public, because no facilities are found.<ref>http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/node/255611</ref>

Females typically feel a need to urinate more than males on account of their (usually) smaller bladders. Resisting the urge to urinate because of lack of facilities can promote [[urinary tract infection]] in women.<ref>http://www.urologychannel.com/uti/prevention.shtml</ref>

===Alternative urination tools===
[[Image:Pot de chambre 4.jpg|thumb|Stacked chamber pots]]
Sometimes urination is done in a container such as a bottle, [[urinal (health care)|urinal]], bedpan or [[chamber pot]], also known as a [[Wikt:gazunder|gazunder]], e.g., in case of lying sick in bed, in the case that the urine has to be examined (for medical reasons, or for a [[Doping (Sport)|drug test]]), or when no toilet is available, and there is no other possibility to dispose of the urine right away. See also [[Nursing assistant skills#Bedpan use and output measurement|Bedpan use and output measurement]].

For the latter application a more expensive solution (hence for special occasions while traveling etc.) is a special disposable bag containing absorbent material that solidifies the urine within ten seconds, making it convenient and safe to keep. If used in the presence of others, there is still the issue of privacy; it is hardly suitable in public transport, because if there is no toilet there is typically no other place to withdraw either; depending on social aspects and/or possibilities to withdraw it may or may not be suitable in a car, boat, private plane, etc., shared with others. Such a bag can also be used for [[vomiting]], should one experience [[motion sickness]].

It is possible for both sexes to urinate into bottles in case of emergencies. The technique can help the sickly and the children to urinate discreetly inside cars and in other places without being seen by others.<ref>[http://www.mypeepeebottle.com/how.html My Pee Pee Bottle: Simple On-The-Go Potty and Hygiene Aid for Toddlers<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Talking about urination===
[[Image:Martin Van Maele - La Grande Danse macabre des vifs - 04.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''"Why do you not want to be a girl?" "Because I do not want to pee with nothing."'']]
In many societies and in many social classes, even mentioning the need to urinate is seen as a social transgression, despite it being a universal need. Even today, many adults avoid stating that they need to urinate. 

Urination is often referred to as "peeing", a euphemism for "piss" which is considered more vulgar. It is also referred to as "weeing", "squirting", "taking a leak", or "doing/having a wee-wee".

"To whiz" is common in the U.S. "To piddle" is common in the U.K., as well as "to have a slash", which originates from the Scottish word "slash" meaning a large splash of liquid.<ref>[http://www.sex-lexis.com/Sex-Dictionary/have%20a%20slash have a slash - Dictionary of sexual terms<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> An English term is to 'splash (one's) boots'.  In the UK, common euphemisms include "Spending a penny" (a reference to coin-operated [[pay toilet]]s), "Going to see my aunt", or "Going to [[See_a_man_about_a_dog|see a man about a dog]]." Others of note are "tinkle" and "potty" - both of which are often used with children. An [[English language]] expression predominantly used by younger women (and men) for outdoor female urination is "popping a squat" - referring to the squatting position many women adapt while urinating outdoors. One expression used in some circles in Australia is to say "I am off to take a Chinese singing lesson," derived from the tinkling sound of urination against the China porcelain of a toilet bowl.<ref>http://www.definition-of.com/have+Chinese+singing+lesson</ref> The phrase 'to spend a penny' is common in the [[UK]] as a euphemism for going to urinate. Its origin is in the old British custom of charging women 1d (pre-decimal penny) in public toilets.<ref>http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/spend-a-penny.html</ref>

===Depicting urination===
[[Image:La femme qui pisse.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Woman Urinating'', etching, [[Rembrandt|Rembrandt van Rijn]], 1631]]
Urination has been depicted in such artworks as ''[[Manneken Pis]]''. Some [[Pornography#Introduction|pornography]] depicts urination; see also [[urolagnia]].

==Non-human animals==
[[Image:Reindeer urinating.ogg|thumb|Reindeer]]
[[File:Goat urinating on an organic farm in Israel.jpg|thumb|A female [[goat]] urinating]]
While the primary purpose of urination is the same across the [[Kingdom (biology)|animal kingdom]], urination often serves a social purpose beyond the expulsion of waste material. In [[dog]]s and other animals, urination can [[territorial marking|mark territory]] or express submissiveness. In small [[rodent]]s such as rats and mice, it marks familiar paths.

The urine and urination of animals of differing [[physiology]] or [[sex]] sometimes have different characteristics. For example, the urine of birds and reptiles is whitish, consisting of a pastelike suspension of uric acid crystals, and discharged with the [[feces]] of the animal via the [[cloaca]], whereas mammals' urine is a yellowish colour, with mostly [[urea]] instead of uric acid, and is discharged via the urethra, separately from the [[feces]]. Some animals' (example: [[carnivore]]s') urine possesses a strong odour, especially when it is used to mark territory or communicate in other ways. A  male [[fox]] raises one hind leg and its urine is sprayed forward in front of it, whereas a female fox squats down so that the urine is sprayed in the ground between the hind legs.<ref>{{cite book |author=Walters, Martin; Bang, Preben; Dahlstrøm, Preben |title=Animal tracks and signs |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford [Oxfordshire] |year=2001 |pages=202–3 |isbn=0-19-850796-8 }}</ref> [[Quadruped|Four-legged animals]] usually kneel, or lift or spread one or more legs, to complete full urination.

==Use in language==
References to peeing and pissing are commonly used in crass [[slang]]. Usage includes: 
*Piss off (to anger someone)
*Pissing down (to refer to heavy rain)
*[[Pissing contest]] (an unproductive ego-driven battle)
*Pisshead (vulgar way to refer to someone who drinks too much)
*[[Pissant]] (to refer to someone as worthless)

==See also==
*[[Defecation]]
*[[History of toilets]]
*[[Micturition syncope]]
*[[Omorashi]]
*[[Stadium buddy]] (device)
*[[Urethra]]
*[[Urinary bladder]]
*[[Urolagnia]]
*[[Urophagia]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons category}}

===Physiology of urination===
*{{EMedicine|med|3176|Neurogenic Bladder}},  describes the neurophysiology of urination
* [http://health.howstuffworks.com/adam-200032.htm "Urination" at HowStuffWorks.com]

[[Category:Urology]]
[[Category:Excretion]]
[[Category:Medical signs]]
[[Category:Urine]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

[[bg:Уриниране]]
[[ca:Micció]]
[[cs:Močení]]
[[de:Miktion]]
[[es:Micción]]
[[eo:Urinado]]
[[fa:ادرار کردن]]
[[fr:Miction]]
[[gl:Micción]]
[[gan:屙尿]]
[[it:Minzione]]
[[nl:Urineren]]
[[ja:排尿]]
[[no:Urinering]]
[[nds:Waterlaten]]
[[pl:Mikcja]]
[[qu:Ispay]]
[[ru:Мочеиспускание]]
[[simple:Urination]]
[[sk:Močenie]]
[[fi:Virtsaaminen]]
[[sv:Urinering]]
[[vi:Tiểu tiện]]
[[Category:2Fix]]