Prostate
From Encyclopedia of Sex and Sexuality
A walnut-shaped organ found beneath the man’s bladder. (Women do not have a prostate gland.) The prostate gland is essentially a sexual organ that produces some of the fluid that makes up a man’s ejaculate. The gland surrounds the urine passage (the urethra) as it travels out of the bladder down to the penis. As men age, the prostate tends to enlarge (usually a benign process) and may partially block the flow of the urine. The bladder can overcome this partial blockage at an early stage since the bladder is composed of muscle that can squeeze harder to push urine out. This urinary blockage becomes noticeable by about one-third of all men as they reach their fifties, sixties, or seventies. Benign prostate enlargement does not affect sexual function.
Diseases and abnormalities of the prostate include prostate cancer, prostatitis, and prostatodynia. Prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate gland, may be caused by a bacterial or other organic infection. It usually results in an increased frequency of urination, pain or burning during urination, and/or a feeling of pain deep in the pelvis or lower back. If recognized promptly, it can be treated with antibiotics.
Prostatodynia is pain traceable to the prostate without the presence of inflammation or infection. Prostatodynia causes pain similar to prostatitis, but since it is not an infection, treatment is very different. Only a doctor can evaluate whether symptoms are caused by prostatitis, prostatodynia, or another process affecting the urinary tract.
While many men wonder whether frequency of sexual intercourse may cause or alleviate problems associated with the prostate gland, in fact there are no prostate problems caused by too frequent or infrequent sexual intercourse.
