• The Prostate and Its Problems
    Awake!—1990 | April 8

    • But what is this gland called the prostate? Where is it, and what does it do?

      Shaped like an inverted pyramid, the prostate lies in the lower abdomen under the bladder. It is peculiar to the male but related in tissue type to the female breast. At the time of birth, it is not much larger than an almond. However, with the onset of puberty, it grows to be as big as a chestnut.

      The prostate is made up of a well-​muscled capsule within which are found 30 to 50 saclike glands. These glands produce the prostatic fluid, without which a man would almost certainly be infertile. The tissue within the glands is folded, allowing for expansion and storage as the fluid is produced. After a male reaches puberty, the sacs begin producing a small amount of fluid each day, which is normally voided with the urine if he has no sexual relations.

      Not all the prostate’s functions are known, but its primary purpose seems to be to produce the fluid that nourishes millions of sperm cells and provides them with a medium to swim in. Thus, it is vital for a man’s fertility. It can, though, also cause him problems as he gets older.