what does the prostate do?
The prostate makes it possible for a male to father children. As most people know, the testicles produce sperm. What most don’t know is that the prostate contributes to the milky fluid that helps to carry the sperm. This sperm-containing fluid is also thought to supply nourishment for the fragile sperm and to help make the vaginal canal less acidic. All of these factors increase the likelihood of conception. If fact, since the prostate contributes to the ejaculate throughout the better part of a man’s life, many men are able to father children well into their 70s and 80s.
The prostate is a exocrine gland about the size of a walnut that is just below the bladder and surrounds the urethra. The prostate produces some of the fluids that help to transport sperm. It also controls the flow of urine. The prostate also produces PSA or prostate specific antigen which can be detected in the blood and is used as a form of detection for prostate cancer. http://www.prostatecentre.ca/prostate.html.
The prostate gland (together with the other accessory glands such as seminal vesicles and Cowper’s glands) makes fluid that is a major part of semen. Fluids from these glands are mixed with sperm to help the passage of sperm along the ducts (tubes) of the male reproductive system. To stop semen flowing backwards to the bladder during ejaculation, the internal sphincter muscle at the base of the bladder closes. At ejaculation, the external sphincter at the lower end of the prostate relaxes to release the fluid from the prostate into the urethra. The outflow of urine from the bladder is controlled by a ring of muscle called the internal sphincter which is located at the base of the bladder. When the internal sphincter is closed, it stops urine and semen leaving the body through the urethra at the same time. At orgasm, this muscle ring closes tightly to stop semen flowing ‘backwards’ into the bladder. This muscle ring cannot be consciously controlled and is referred to as an involuntary m
