The prostate is a gland of the male reproductive system. It is located in front of the rectum and just below the bladder, the organ that stores urine. The main purpose of the prostate is to produce fluid for semen, which transports sperm during the male orgasm. The normal prostate gland is quite small--it weighs only about an ounce--and is nearly the same size and shape as a walnut. The prostate is somewhat firm; 30% of it is made up of muscular tissue, and the rest consists of glandular tissue. It is located in front of the rectum and just below the bladder, the organ that stores urine. The prostate wraps around a tube called the urethra, which carries urine from the bladder out through the tip of the penis.

The prostate is a small gland that only men have. It is normally about the size of a walnut. The prostate is located underneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. Because the prostate is close to the rectum, it can be felt by a doctor during a digital rectal exam (the part of a physical where the doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into a man's anus). The prostate makes and stores fluid that is part of semen, and this fluid is released from a man's penis during ejaculation. The prostate is signaled to do its job by the male hormone testosterone, which can influence the behavior of the prostate gland and prostate cancer. Nerves to the penis that are important in producing and maintaining an erection run very close to the prostate. The prostate completely encircles the tube that carriers urine from the bladder to the penis, called the urethra. If the prostate enlarges, it can block the flow of urine from the bladder making it difficult for a man to urinate.