Prostate Problems

The prostate is a small gland about the size and shape of a chestnut. We only find it in men. In a man in his twenties it doesn't weigh more than 20 grams. The prostate lies directly below the bladder. The urethra, which is the tube draining the bladder, passes through the centre of the gland to the penis. Next to the prostate there is the sphincter, which is a special muscle maintaining the urine inside the bladder. Because of the proximity of the prostate to the rectum, it is easily palpable with the digital rectal examination, allowing the diagnosis of potential problems.

The function of this smalll gland is multiple. It is a "junction" between the Vas Deferens (which are small tubes bringing the sperm from the testicles) and the seminal vesicles (which are small pouches behind the prostate full of nutritional factors which mix with the sperm to form the semen). The prostate itself produces about 70% of the semen adding more nutritional and other ingredients. It also produces PSA which is a special protein only produced in the prostate. Click here to find out more about the PSA.