What is the prostate?
The prostate is a small, walnut-like gland that lies below the bladder, whose normal dimensions range from 3-4 cm in its widest portion, 4-6 cm in length, and 2 -3 cm thick. The normal prostate, in young men, weighs around 20 grams. Over the years, the prostate increases in size.
Function of the prostate
The prostate is a gland of external secretion and next to the seminal vesicles, it constitutes the most important secondary sexual organ in man. Its main role is the secretion of a large proportion of seminal fluid, which plays an important role in fertilization: it serves as a vehicle and nutrition to increase the chances of sperm survival. The secretions of these glands constitute the bulk of the volume and chemical composition of part of the semen.
Structures that cross the prostate
The prostate is traversed by part of the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside. In turn, the prostate is traversed by another tube that comes from the seminal vesicles (glands whose mission is to provide nutrients to semen) and the vas deferens (tubes that start from the testicles and lead sperm to the outside).