Prostate

There are many things that differentiate men from women. Emotionally, women are thought to be stronger than men because they are able to carry the burden of their problems by expressing it outwardly, while men are considered otherwise because they cannot handle their emotions very well especially in the midst of emotional turmoil. No wonder that cases of suicides among men are higher that their female counterpart. Anatomically one of the many things that distinguish men from women is the presence of prostate among men.

Prostate is only present among men. It is one of the exocrine glands that is found just above the rectum and below the bladder and at the same time it covers around the urethra. Prostate has almost the same size of a walnut that is responsible in storing and releasing clear liquid together with the semen during ejaculation. Prostate is also responsible of expelling semen because of the smooth muscle it contains.

The prostatic urethra is the portion of urethra that comes out from the bladder that is still part of the prostate region. This part of connects with two ducts that serve different functions, the first duct serves as the passage of the urine while the second is for the semen during ejaculation. Prostate can be classified according to its zones and lobes. The zone is for pathological purposes while the lobe is for the anatomical functions.

The zone of the prostate is divided into four separate glandular regions namely: peripheral zone, central zone, transition zone, and the anterior fibro-muscular zone. The lobe s of the prostate are classified as anterior or the isthmus lobe, posterior lobe, lateral lobe, and median or middle lobe.

The peripheral zone is the capsule-like portion of the prostate that is located in the posterior area, which is closely connected with the distal urethra. It is in this area the most of the prostatic cancers begin. The central zone is the part of the prostate that function during ejaculation. One-fourth of prostate cancer cases are attributed to tumors in the central zone.

The transition zone is the part that is nearer with the proximal urethra. This part of the prostate my not be susceptible to cancer however, benign prostatic enlargement is mostly found here. The anterior fibro-muscular zone is mainly composed of muscles and some fibrous tissue. It does not have any glandular component.

The anterior lobe works together with the transition zone while posterior lobe is paired with the peripheral zone. The lateral lobes are connected with all the zones while the median is limited with central zone only.
Prostate is one of the most affected organs of men especially with the ageing population. Many older men who have reached the age of 40 are now suffering from prostate-related diseases.