The prostate is an accessory sex gland for the male. It produces a component of the human ejaculate (semen). Because of its location in between the bladder and the male urethra, it also serves as channel for urine to pass through.

Some of the normal prostatic secretions include citric acid, zinc, prostate-specific antigen, human kallikreins, prostatic acid phosphatase, and immunoglobins. PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) which has a normal physiological function in the ejaculate, but some of it normally "leaks" into the blood stream, and serves as the basis for the common prostate cancer screening test.

Many patients ask "So do I really need my prostate?"

With advances in robotic surgical treatment of prostate cancer, you do not need the prostate to have an erection, have orgasm, or have urinary control (continence)!

However, since the prostate is very important for fertility and ejaculation, men who have had their prostates removed will not be able to father children, nor will they have an ejaculate. In a sense, the prostate is like the appendix in that it is not needed for survival or for critical functions.