To help your sperm swim, your prostate has to make and release its fluid at the right time during sexual activity. When you become excited during sex, sperm travel from your testicles through a series of tubes to the part of your

 

 

 

 

 

urethra
Your urethra is the tube that carries urine from your bladder out of your body. In a man, the urethra runs through the inside of the penis. In a woman, the urethra is shorter, and opens onto the top of the vagina.

 

 

 

 

 

urethra that your prostate is wrapped around. On the way, your sperm collect some jelly-like liquid from your

 

 

 

 

 

seminal vesicles
The seminal vesicles are two glands that sit like small bunches of grapes on either side of the prostate. These glands make some of the fluid that comes out when men ejaculate (push out semen from their penis) at the moment of orgasm.

 

 

 

 

 

seminal vesicles and then travel through your prostate in your

 

 

 

 

 

ejaculatory duct
The ejaculatory duct is a passage that carries fluid from the seminal vesicles to the penis, where the fluid joins the sperm to make semen. The duct runs through the prostate.

 

 

 

 

 

ejaculatory duct.

As the sperm arrive in your urethra, nerves in your prostate trigger the muscle here to contract. As the muscle contracts, it squeezes the network of tubes in your prostate. This makes them pump out fluid into your urethra where it mixes with the sperm to become semen. This flows out of your body through your penis when you ejaculate.

Your prostate fluid contains nutrients, such as sugar and calcium, which help keep your sperm healthy. Your prostate also makes a substance that doctors call prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. PSA helps your semen stay liquid, so your sperm can swim freely.

When something goes wrong with your prostate, it's common for large amounts of PSA to enter your bloodstream. An enlarged prostate can cause high levels of PSA, and so can prostate cancer. If there is cancer in your prostate, this can disrupt the network of tubes there and cause more PSA to leak into your bloodstream. A blood test to check how much PSA is in your blood can indicate your chances of having prostate cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Scher HI.
Hyperplastic and malignant disease of the prostate.
In: Braunwald E, Hauser SL, Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 15th ed. McGraw Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ You may have heard of this test, or had it already. To read more about it, see Tests to check your prostate health.

The information on ConsumerReportsHealth.org should not be viewed as a substitute for a consultation with a medical or health professional. The information is meant to enhance communication with your doctor, not replace it. Consumers Union can not be liable for any loss, injury, or other damages related to your use of this information.

Your use of this information is subject to our User Agreement available at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.