The prostate gland is only found in men, and it sits just below the bladder, close to the back passage (rectum). It is about the size and shape of a walnut. The tube that carries urine and sperm out through the penis (the urethra) runs through the middle of it.

The prostate produces a thick, white fluid called semen, which mixes with the sperm made by the testes. It also produces a protein called prostate specific antigen (PSA), which liquefies the semen. The growth of the cells within the prostate gland and the way that the gland works is dependent on the male sex hormone, testosterone, which is produced in the testes.

You are unlikely to be aware of your prostate unless it causes you trouble. The two most common prostate problems are prostate enlargement (also known as Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy) and prostatitis.

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy, or BPH is common in men over the age of 50 and can cause the following symptoms:

• difficulty in passing urine
• passing urine more often than usual, especially at night
• pain when passing urine
• rarely, blood in the urine or semen.

Note: BPH is not cancer and is not the same as prostate cancer.

Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland) can also cause the above symptoms. Prostatitis can be caused by infection, which is treated with antibiotics. It can also be caused by physical injury to the prostate gland, or some autoimmune diseases (in which the body’s immune system damages the body’s own cells).

Note: prostatitis is not prostate cancer.