The word "prostate" comes from Medieval Latin prostate and Medieval French prostate. The ancient Greek word prostate means "one standing in front", from protistan meaning "set before". The prostate is so called because of its position - it is at the base of the bladder. The Prostate is an important organ forming part of the male reproductive system. It is located below the bladder and anterior to the bowel. Its main function is to produce fluid which protects and enriches sperm. There are thousands of tiny glands in the prostate - they all produce a fluid that forms part of the semen and fluid also protects and nourishes the sperm. At the time of male orgasm, the seminal vesicles secrete a milky liquid through which the semen travels. The liquid is produced by the prostate gland, while the sperm is stored and produced in the testicles. When a male climaxes (has an orgasm) contracted muscles force the prostate to secrete this fluid into the urethra and released through the penis. In younger men, the prostate is about the size of a walnut of doughnut-shaped as it surrounds the beginning of the urethra, the tube that conveys urine from the bladder to the penis. The nerve responsible for erections surrounds the prostate. An average weight of the normal prostate in adult males is about 11 grams, usually ranging between 7 and 16 grams which surround the urethra below the urinary bladder and can be by rectal exam.
