What your prostate is and what it does

The prostate is one of the male sex glands. When a man has sex, some fluid from the prostate mixes with the sperm made in the testes. Then, the fluid (semen) gets squeezed out through the penis.

The prostate makes another substance important to you right now called PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). Doctors measure the amount of PSA through a blood test to check for certain problems. PSA can be higher than normal in men with prostate cancer as well as with some other prostate conditions such as prostate enlargement (BPH) or prostatitis.