Almost every of us heard about the prostate and the link between this organ and various diseases that occurs in old men. A lot of related advertisements run every day on the TV channels, presenting useful drugs for patients having problems urinating because of a diseased prostate. In the drug-stores , the offer of medication for treating prostate disorders is pretty big. So, the conclusion upon all this is that the term prostate is present everyday, anywhere. We see it in all the media. But the question is: how many of us really knows what is the prostate and which is the role of this organ in our body?

For the first of all, let's clear the fact that the prostate is a gland (an exocrine gland more exactly) present only in the men body. It is a part of the men reproductive system. Women don't have such an organ. The main function of the prostate gland is to produce and store a clear alkaline (pH 7,29) fluid, which constitute 10-30 % of the volume of the seminal fluid that, along with the sperm cells (the male reproductive cells) and the fluid produced by the seminal glands, form the semen.

The main prostate disorders are: prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. the prostatitis is an inflamation of the prostate gland, often resulting in swelling or pain. Exist two forms of prostatitis: acute prostatitis and chronic prostatitis. The benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a disease that occurs in older men. In this case, the prostate gland often enlarges to the point where urinations become difficult. The prostate cancer is one of the most common cancer affecting old men in the developed countries and a significant cause of death for elderly men (30 %).

The prostate have also a big role in the process of ejaculation, because of the ejaculatory ducts, which lie within the prostate gland. When you have an orgasm, the sperm runs from the testicles (where it is produced) into the deferens channels (vas deferens) (long tubes) and from there to the main urethra (part of the excretory system), via the ejaculatory ducts (this ducts make the connection between the deferens channels and the urethra). Some men can achieve orgasm only by stimulating the prostate gland (through prostate massage or anal intercourse). For this reason the prostate is often called the "male G-spot".

by Bogdan Enache

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