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Understanding your reproductive system

Understanding your reproductive system

& the importance of prostate


Introduction

The history of prostate is as old as the man itself. However, the term “prostate” was first used and originally derived from the Greek word “prohistani” which means "to stand in front of,". Quite interestingly, this term has been attributed to Herophilus of Alexandria who first used the term in 355 B.C.E. to describe the small organ located in front of the human male’s urinary bladder.


Your urinary system & how it works?

Your urinary system (or, sometimes known as urinary tract) is composed of organs, tubes, muscles, and nerves that all work together to make, store, and carry urine. By means of making urine and passing it out of the body, your urinary system filters waste and extra fluid from your blood.

It includes:
  1. Two kidneys: Each of your kidneys makes urine
  2. Two ureters: Two long tubes, each of which carries urine from its respective kidney down to the urinary bladder
  3. Urinary bladder: A balloon or sac like bag that stores urine for some time before you expel it through a process known as “urination” (medically known as micturition).
  4. Two sphincter muscles: These are circular muscles that help keep urine from leaking by closing tightly like a rubber band around the opening of your urinary bladder into the urethra.
  5. Urethra: It is a single, long and narrow tube that allows urine (from the bladder) and semen (from the sex glands) to pass outside the body through “penis”. As urethra runs through the center of the prostate, any infection or inflammation of the prostate gland can cause burning during urination.
Your reproductive system & how it works?

If you are a man, your reproductive system (or, sometimes known as sexual or reproductive tract) is composed of organs, tubes, muscles, and nerves that all work together to make, store, and carry semen, sperm and hence coordinate together to perform “sex”.

By means of making semen and sperm and passing it out of the body (and into the reproductive system of females), your reproductive system helps make babies or simply makes you enjoy sex and have fun. It includes:

Two testes: Two small-sized endocrine glands (commonly known as “balls”) that are nestled deep within that “pouch” that hangs just behind your penis. Each testis makes millions and billions of “sperms” that are essential for fertilization (to make babies). Testes also produce and release a very important hormone “testosterone” that is responsible for making you “man” and “man-like”.

Two epididymes: Each epididymis is the curved kidney-shaped gland at the back of each of your testes. When puberty occurs, sperm move to the epididymis to mature.

Two Vas deferens: The vas deferens, or spermatic duct, is the tube which carries the sperms from each of your testes up to the seminal vesicle and into the urethra.

Seminal vesicles: The seminal vesicle produces fluids that activate sperm.

One prostate: Which you’ll just read about in detail.

Two Cowper’s glands: Just under the prostate gland rest a very small round gland called the Cowper’s gland. This gland secretes a fluid that removes any acidity from the urethra just before ejaculation ensuring that the sperm have the best chance of survival before their final release through penis.

Penis: It is your main sexual organ in which the urethra is located. During sexual arousal, the spongy tissues present in the wall of your penis fill with blood, making your penis erect.

You should now be able to understand that why this “prostate” bears a central and crucial significance in the proper functioning of both urinary and reproductive systems in men.