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The prostate gland is only found in men. It’s about the size of a walnut and gets a little bigger with age. It surrounds the first part of the tube (urethra) that carries urine from the bladder along the penis.
Diagram showing the prostate and surrounding organs
View a large version of the diagram of the prostate and surrounding organs|
The prostate produces a thick, white fluid called semen, which mixes with the sperm made by the testicles. The mixture of sperm and semen is sometimes known as the ejaculate.
The prostate also produces a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) that turns the semen into liquid. A small amount of PSA naturally leaks into the blood.
Larger amounts of PSA leak into the blood if the prostate gland is enlarged, inflamed or infected, or if there’s cancer in the prostate.
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