What is the prostate and what does it do?

Leonard Gomella, MD

Academic Title: Professor

Chair, Department of Urology

Board Certifications:
Urology

The prostate is an organ found in males that is located at the base of the bladder. The urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) passes through the middle of the prostate. The main function of the prostate is to produce part of the semen produced during ejaculation. In a younger adult male the prostate is about the size of a chestnut and can sometimes grow larger as men age.