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Prostate Health

The prostate gland isn't big—about the size of a walnut—but its location virtually guarantees problems if something goes awry. The prostate gland is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It also wraps around the upper part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. That means prostate problems can affect urination and sexual function.

The prostate is prone to three main conditions: Prostatitis: infection or inflammation of the prostate; Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): aging-related enlargement of the prostate gland; and Prostate cancer: the growth of cancerous cells inside the prostate, which may break out of the gland and affect other parts of the body.

Your prostate plays a key role in reproduction. Although it’s the testicles that produce sperm, the prostate (along with tiny neighboring organs called seminal vesicles) helps produce semen—the viscous fluid in which sperm travel. Here’s what happens when you ejaculate. Within the prostate, a series of ducts lined with fluid-producing cells pushes prostatic fluid out into the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder) where it joins both the sperm produced by the testicles and the fluids generated by the seminal vesicles (narrow glands located on each side of the prostate).

The prostate consists of two lobes, right and left, and it’s wider at its base. The base of the prostate is higher up in your body, where the gland nestles against the bladder. The “apex” is the lower end, closer to the rectum. Between the apex and the base lies the mid-gland. These terms are important in discussions about prostate cancer, since the area of the prostate in which a cancer appears can affect symptoms, treatment options and outcomes. Continue reading from Harvard Health