Understanding Men's Health: Prostate

THE PROSTATE IS A WALNUT-SIZED ORGAN FOUND only in the male. it is located at the door of the bladder. An essential part of the reproductive system, its main function is to secrete a slightly acidic fluid that makes up about 20 to 30 percent of semen. When this fluid is combined with the rest of the ejaculate discharge from the testes, seminal vesicle and bulbourethral glands during male ejaculation, semen becomes alkali to help counter the naturally acidic environment that is the female vagina.

However, despite its importance in the male reproductive system, the prostate can also cause a great deal of problems. As a man ages, the prostate tends to grow larger, and in men over the age of 50, the size of the prostate tends to cause intermittent obstruction of urine from the bladder into the penis, making it much more difficult for them to urinate. The prostate is also prone to harbouring bacteria, becoming inflamed and causing much pain over long periods of time if it remains untreated. Finally, the prostate is also prone to becoming cancerous: it is the third most common cancer in Singaporean men, right after colorectal cancer and lung cancer.