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The Prostate and its Function

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The health of the male prostate has been a growing concern among men the age of 50 and older over the past few decades; and rightly so as prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men in that age group, and the second deadliest after lung cancer if not diagnosed in the early stages. Even though the amount of prostate cancer cases is on the rise, awareness of the prostate disease and possible complications has encouraged men to get serious about their prostate health and address the issues as early as possible.

So, what exactly is the prostate? The prostate is a male sex organ essential to reproduction that is part glandular and part muscle. It is about the size of a walnut located in the pelvis. It lies behind the pubic bone, below the bladder, in front of the rectum and surrounding the urethra. The prostate is divided into three main chambers, or lobes, with a center lobe and two lobes on each side. During a rectal exam, the doctor can feel one of the side lobes called the peripheral zone. This is an important exam because most prostate cancers originate in this area of the prostate. It is very rare for cancer to form in the other side lobe, called the transition zone, but the transition lobe is the only zone where benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP) develops. The central zone is where the seminal vesicles are connected to the prostate, and it is uncommon that any diseases or conditions arise in this part of the prostate.

The prostate is responsible for secreting a fluid that makes up part of the male's seminal fluid, which is the fluid that carries sperm through ejaculation. The sperm are mixed with the fluid after the testicles carry the sperm to the prostate and they are combined with the seminal vesicle fluid.

Next Page: Conditions that Can Arise in the Prostate

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