Editing Prostate (section)

==Function==

===In ejaculation===
The prostate secretes fluid, which becomes part of the [[semen]]. Its secretion forms up to 30% of the semen. Semen is the fluid emitted ([[ejaculated]]) through the male [[urethra]] during the [[sexual stimulation|sexual response]].<ref name="Barrett-2019" /> Sperm are emitted from the [[vas deferens]] into the male urethra via the [[ejaculatory duct]], which lies within the prostate gland.<ref name="Barrett-2019" /> Semen is moved into the urethra following contractions of the smooth muscle of the vas deferens and seminal vesicles, following stimulation, primarily of the [[glans penis]]. Stimulation sends nerve signals via the [[internal pudendal nerve]]s to the upper [[lumbar spine]]; the nerve signals causing contraction act via the [[hypogastric nerve]]s.<ref name="Barrett-2019" /> After traveling into the urethra, the seminal fluid is ejaculated by contraction of the [[bulbocavernosus muscle]].<ref name="Barrett-2019">{{Cite book |last1=Barrett |first1=Kim E. |title=Ganong's review of medical physiology |last2=Barman |first2=Susan M. |last3=Brooks |first3=Heddwen L. |last4=Yuan |first4=Jason X.-J. |last5=Ganong |first5=William F. |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education |year=2019 |isbn=9781260122404 |edition=26th |location=New York |pages=411, 415 |oclc=1076268769}}</ref> The secretions of the prostate include [[proteolytic enzyme]]s, [[prostatic acid phosphatase]], [[fibrinolysin]], [[zinc]], and [[prostate-specific antigen]].<ref name="Standring-2016" /> Together with the secretions from the seminal vesicles, these form the major fluid part of semen.<ref name="Standring-2016" /> The prostate contains various metals, including zinc,<ref>{{cite journal|last1 = Zaichick	| first1 = Sofia	| last2 = Zaichick	| first2 = Vladimir	| date = 2012| title = Mass fractions of 52 trace elements and zinc/trace element content ratios in intact human prostates investigated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry	| url = https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12011-012-9427-4	| journal = Biol Trace Elem Res	| volume = 149	| issue = 2	| pages = 171–183	| doi = 10.1007/s12011-012-9427-4	| pmid = 22549701| bibcode = 2012BTER..149..171Z	| access-date =2024-12-27| url-access = subscription	}}</ref> and is known to be the primary source of most metals found in semen, which are released during ejaculation.<ref>{{cite journal	| last1 = Tanaka	| first1 = Takazo	| last2 = Kojo	| first2 = Kosuke	| date = 2024	| title = A new clustering model based on the seminal plasma/serum ratios of multiple trace element concentrations in male patients with subfertility	| journal = Reprod Med Biol	| volume = 23	| issue = 1	| pages = e12584	| doi = 10.1002/rmb2.12584	| pmc = 11131575	| pmid = 38807752	}}</ref>

===In urination===
{{see also|Surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia}}
The prostate's changes of shape, which facilitate the mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation, are mainly driven by the two longitudinal muscle systems running along the prostatic urethra. These are the ''urethral [[dilator]]'' (''musculus dilatator urethrae'') on the urethra's front side, which contracts during urination and thereby shortens and tilts the prostate in its vertical dimension thus widening the prostatic section of the urethral tube,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hocaoglu |first1=Y |last2=Roosen |first2=A |last3=Herrmann |first3=K |last4=Tritschler |first4=S |last5=Stief |first5=C |last6=Bauer |first6=RM |year=2012 |title=Real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): anatomical changes during physiological voiding in men. |journal=BJU Int |volume=109 |issue=2 |pages=234–9 |doi=10.1111/j.1464-410X.2011.10255.x |pmid=21736694 |s2cid=9423239}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hocaoglu |first1=Y |last2=Herrmann |first2=K |last3=Walther |first3=S |last4=Hennenberg |first4=M |last5=Gratzke |first5=C |last6=Bauer |first6=R |display-authors=etal |year=2013 |title=Contraction of the anterior prostate is required for the initiation of micturition. |journal=BJU Int |volume=111 |issue=7 |pages=1117–23 |doi=10.1111/j.1464-410X.2012.11698.x |pmid=23356864 |s2cid=31046054}}</ref> and the muscle switching the urethra into the ejaculatory state (''musculus ejaculatorius'') on its backside.<ref name="Schünke-2012" />

In case of an operation, e.g. because of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), damaging or sparing of these two muscle systems varies considerably depending on the choice of operation type and details of the procedure of the chosen technique. The effects on postoperational urination and ejaculation vary correspondingly.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lebdai |first1=S |last2=Chevrot |first2=A |last3=Doizi |first3=S |last4=Pradere |first4=B |last5=Delongchamps |first5=NB |last6=Benchikh |first6=A |display-authors=etal |year=2019 |title=Do patients have to choose between ejaculation and miction? A systematic review about ejaculation preservation technics for benign prostatic obstruction surgical treatment. |url=http://website60s.com/upload/files/world-journal-of-urology-v37-iss2-a10.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=World J Urol |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=299–308 |doi=10.1007/s00345-018-2368-6 |pmid=29967947 |s2cid=49556196 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811023908/http://website60s.com/upload/files/world-journal-of-urology-v37-iss2-a10.pdf |archive-date=2021-08-11 |access-date=2020-11-16}}</ref>

===In stimulation===
It is possible for some men to achieve [[orgasm]] solely through stimulation of the prostate gland, such as via [[prostate massage]] or [[Anal sex|anal intercourse]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rosenthal |first=Martha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT153 |title=Human Sexuality: From Cells to Society |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |year=2012 |isbn=978-0618755714 |pages=133–135 |access-date=September 17, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Komisaruk, Barry R. |author-link1=Barry Komisaruk |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kkts3AX9QVAC&pg=PA108 |title=The Orgasm Answer Guide |last2=Whipple, Beverly |author-link2=Beverly Whipple |last3=Nasserzadeh, Sara |author-link3=Sara Nasserzadeh |last4=Beyer-Flores, Carlos |publisher=JHU Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8018-9396-4 |pages=108–109 |access-date=6 November 2011 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> This has led to the area of the [[Rectum|rectal wall]] adjacent to the prostate to be popularly referred to as the "male [[G-spot]]".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Levin |first=R. J. |date=2018 |title=Prostate-induced orgasms: A concise review illustrated with a highly relevant case study |journal=Clinical Anatomy |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=81–85 |doi=10.1002/ca.23006 |pmid=29265651 |doi-access=free}}</ref>