What is the prostate?

The prostate is a small, golf ball-sized gland that is a key part of the reproductive system. As you can see in the diagram below, the prostate sits below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the tip of the penis. When things go wrong in the prostate, because of its location, patients can sometimes suffer from issues with urination, which may be a symptom of prostate cancer. But we’ll come to symptoms later.

The main function of the prostate is to add fluid that nourishes the sperm produced by the testicles, making semen. This is stored in the seminal vesicles, ready for release during ejaculation.

Prostate diagram in human body

Next chapter: what is prostate cancer?