The Prostate Gland: A Guide to your P-Spot

11 min read
The Prostate Gland: A Guide to your P-Spot

The prostate is an important part of the male anatomy. However, with the gland out of sight and out of mind, many people don’t know much about it. People tend to associate the prostate with two very different things: cancer and sexual stimulation. What is less commonly known is that the prostate plays a critical part in the male reproductive system. Some of its primary roles include semen production, ejaculation and hormone metabolism.

Despite its functions, the prostate can be a vulnerability for men. Aside from cancer, the prostate is also susceptible to lesser-known conditions including prostatitis and prostate enlargement. These problems can lead to a series of complications for men, from day-to-day discomfort to reduced life expectancy.

Males can achieve intense orgasms through prostate stimulation

The prostate can also be a great source of pleasure for men. Males can achieve intense orgasms through prostate stimulation. The prostate is likened to the female ‘G-spot’ and is often referred to as the ‘P-spot’. With all the prostate’s capabilities and complexities, it’s difficult to find all the information you need in one place; this article is a complete guide to the prostate.

What is the prostate gland?

The prostate is a gland that forms part of the male reproductive system. It is located below the bladder and shares a link to the penis and the bladder through the urethra. This affects the passing of urine, semen production and ejaculation.

The prostate doesn’t remain a constant size, as it increases in mass with age. For men in their twenties, the prostate is expected to be roughly the size of a walnut. As men reach their forties, it can increase to the size of an apricot and by the time they reach their sixties, it can grow to the size of a lemon.

The different parts of the prostate

prostate diagram

The prostate gland is divided up into five lobes which have been listed below:

 Anterior Lobe 
The inner portion of the gland which is in front of the urethra.
Median Lobe
A cone-shaped piece of the prostate which sits between the urethra and ejaculatory ducts.
Lateral Lobes (2)
These two lobes occupy the left and right side of the gland and are separated by the prostatic urethra.
Posterior Lobe
This is situated posteriorly to the urethra.

 

What does the prostate do? Main functions

Hormone Metabolism

The male sex hormone testosterone contributes to physical and sexual development. The prostate can transform the testosterone hormone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT plays an important role in both male development and prostate development, but in the adult prostate, it can cause pathological prostate growth. Furthermore, DHT can have other undesirable effects on men, with high levels being linked to acne and hair loss.

Curious about testosterone and its effects on men's health?

Semen production

Semen is a combination of fluid created by the prostate and sperm from the testicles. The fluid is held in tube-shaped glands known as the seminal vesicles. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the fluid produced by the prostate which allows semen to become watery. Blood tests (known as a PSA test) can measure PSA and be used to detect possible prostate problems.

Ejaculation

The prostate plays an important role in male ejaculation. It allows forceful pressing of semen into the urethra, which is subsequently released outwards when a man ejaculates. The prostate, along with the bladder’s sphincter muscle, shut the urethra off to stop semen from entering the bladder.

How to keep your prostate healthy

Maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight is linked to health conditions such as heart attacks and diabetes. It has been said that being a healthy body weight can help minimize urinary tract symptoms. This is associated with an enlarged prostate, therefore reducing a person’s risk of prostate cancer.

Maintain healthy eating patterns

Unfortunately, there are no set foods that you can eat to improve your prostate health. Although some foods have been linked to prostate health, there’s no evidence that they’re actually effective.

What you can do is make an effort to improve your general eating habits. This will have an impact on your overall health and also your weight, which is linked to improved prostate health.

Here are a few examples of things you can do to improve your eating habits:

  • Eat a minimum of five servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
  • Limit your portion sizes to prevent overeating.
  • Reduce your sugar and salt consumption.
  • Reduce your processed food consumption.
  • Replace take-outs with home-cooked meals with organic ingredients.

Get regular exercise

Exercise has a huge effect on your overall health. Getting enough exercise can help reduce your chances of heart disease and stroke. Being active is also a great way to support prostate health. In fact, a study found that people who work a physically demanding job are less likely to suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia compared to those in desk jobs.

One of the exercises you should be careful of is cycling. This is because your entire body weight is on the saddle which puts a lot of pressure on the prostate area. Prostate-friendly saddles do exist and are a good option for regular cyclists.

Kegel exercises are a group of exercises dedicated to strengthening the muscles in your pelvic area

Kegel exercises are a group of exercises dedicated to strengthening the muscles in your pelvic area. These exercises are particularly useful for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles of men before or after prostate surgery. They are also one of the best ways to control incontinence without needing medication or surgery.

Prostate most common health conditions

One of the key ways to manage your prostate health is understanding your risk of prostate problems and which symptoms to look out for.

Symptoms of prostate problems

If you have any of the symptoms below, see a doctor immediately:

  • Needing to urinate frequently
  • Finding blood in your urine or semen
  • Pain when you urinate or ejaculate
  • Irregular urine flow
  • Burning sensation when you urinate or ejaculate
  • Regular pain in your pelvic area, rectal area, lower back, hips or thighs


Let’s take a look at some of the most common prostate problems that could be causing the symptoms above.

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer develops once the cells in the prostate grow in an uncontrolled manner. If cancer grows slowly enough, it might never require treatment as it may not become a threat to life. However, some prostate cancer can grow rapidly. This type of growth needs urgent treatment to prevent it from spreading to other areas of the body.

Localized or early prostate cancer doesn’t cause any symptoms, making it a difficult condition to detect

Localized or early prostate cancer doesn’t cause any symptoms, making it a difficult condition to detect. Urinary problems can be a sign, but these are often mild and happen over a sustained period of time. Therefore, it’s unlikely that people would warrant seeking medical attention for such symptoms.

Who’s at risk of prostate cancer

Although every man is at risk of prostate cancer, there are certain groups at higher risk of the disease. It’s important to understand your level of risk, particularly due to the difficulties of detecting prostate cancer.

The following groups face an increased risk of prostate cancer:

 

If you are age 50 or over

Around 1 in 8 men will suffer from prostate cancer during their lifetime. It mainly affects those over 50 years old and the risk of prostate cancer increases with age.

If cancer is in your family history

Men whose father or brother has had prostate cancer will be two and a half times more likely to get the disease. Men who have female family members that have been diagnosed with breast cancer may also face a higher risk of prostate cancer.

If you are Black

 Black men face an increased risk of suffering from prostate cancer. Around 1 in 4 Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Black men are over twice as likely to die from prostate cancer when compared to white men.

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is a prostate condition that occurs when the prostate gland becomes inflamed or swollen. This can be a very painful issue but one that often gets better. Men aged between 30 and 50 are most commonly affected by prostatitis but it can appear at any age. There are two different types of prostatitis:

Chronic Prostatitis

Chronic prostatitis sees symptoms appear and disappear over the course of several months. This is the most common type of prostatitis.

Acute Prostatitis

Acute prostatitis has far more substantial symptoms that appear quickly. Although acute prostatitis is uncommon, it can be life-threatening and requires urgent treatment.

Enlarged prostate

An enlarged prostate is when the prostate gland has grown in size. The medical terminology for this condition is benign prostatic enlargement (BPE). It is also commonly referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Benign means that the condition is not cancerous.

Prostate enlargement is common in men over 50 years old and the condition can be symptomless

Prostate enlargement is common in men over 50 years old and the condition can be symptomless. Eventually, as the prostate increases in size, it can apply pressure on the urethra and constrict the flow of urine. In fact, the most common cause of urinary symptoms in men over 50 is an enlarged prostate.

How to test your prostate health

Whether you’re at risk of prostate problems or not, getting checked out is the only way to know how healthy your prostate is. Consulting with a medical professional is the first step and they can determine which tests you will need to take. Here are a few examples of tests that are used to check your prostate health:

Prostate-specific androgen (PSA) testing

Prostate-specific androgen is a type of protein made in the prostate gland. As a person's PSA level increases, so do their chances of having prostate cancer. There is no specific amount of PSA that can explicitly determine whether a man has prostate cancer or not.

Prostate-specific androgen is a type of protein made in the prostate gland

It’s common for doctors to use a benchmark of 4 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) when deciding if a man needs further tests. The majority of men with PSA levels below 4 don’t have prostate cancer. Some doctors will still recommend further testing in men that have less than 4ng/ml, this can be due to the patient having other reported symptoms or a family history of cancer.

About 15% of men under a PSA of 4 will have prostate cancer if a biopsy is done. A PSA of between 4-10 is known as the borderline range, with roughly a 25% chance of prostate cancer. A PSA over 10 sees a significant rise of over 50% chance of having prostate cancer.

Digital rectal exam (DRE)

A digital rectal exam is a type of physical examination used by doctors to examine prostate health. The medical professional will wear a glove and insert a lubricated finger into the patient's rectum, in search of any abnormalities that might signal prostate problems.

The medical professional will wear a glove and insert a lubricated finger into the patient's rectum, in search of any abnormalities that might signal prostate problems

Although this type of examination can be a little uncomfortable, generally it isn’t painful. This is a less effective way of finding prostate cancer when compared to PSA tests but it’s a good way to test men with normal PSA levels.

Imaging tests

If the prostate needs further examination, you might be referred to imagining testing to help get a clearer picture of the health of your prostate. This can be carried out through means such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans or transrectal ultrasounds.

Prostate biopsies

A prostate biopsy can be the next step if the initial PSA test shows high levels of PSA. A prostate biopsy involves removing a small sample from the prostate followed by an examination under a microscope. This test is the only way to confirm if a male has prostate cancer. If the results show that cancer is there, the biopsy can indicate how quickly the cancer is likely to grow or spread.

A prostate biopsy involves removing a small sample from the prostate followed by an examination under a microscope

Prostate pleasure

The prostate gland is also associated with pleasure and when massaged, it can lead to what’s known as a prostate orgasm. The prostate can be stimulated internally with anal penetration or externally by rubbing the perineum (the skin between the scrotum and anus).

 The prostate can be stimulated internally with anal penetration or externally by rubbing the perineum (the skin between the scrotum and anus)

The term “prostate milking” is a widely used name for a prostate massage. This is more commonly associated with penetrative stimulation, rather than perineum stimulation. In the context of pleasure, you will also hear the prostate being referred to as the “P-spot”.

Recommended Reading

We just published an article on best sex books for men, it covers the most interesting topics on men's sexuality. Including a book on prostate pleasure:

How to stimulate the prostate gland

The prostate can be stimulated internally by using a clean lubricated finger or prostate massager. Alternatively, the perineum can be rubbed for external stimulation. Although you can reach a perineum orgasm through external stimulation alone, many people do this to warm up the prostate before internal stimulation.

For a step-by-step guide, read our article on how to milk your p-spot. This will give you all the information you need to safely achieve an intense prostate orgasm.

RELATED: Erectile Dysfunction (Causes and Treatment)

Differences between prostate and penile orgasms

There are some key differences between prostate and penile orgasms. Firstly, these orgasms occur as a result of stimulation in different areas. As you may have guessed, prostate orgasms are achieved through stimulation of the prostate, whereas penile orgasms are achieved through stimulation of the penis.

The release of fluid occurs during both orgasms but it comes from different places. When climaxing through prostate stimulation, the fluid comes solely from the prostate gland. Penile ejaculation produces semen which is a combination of fluid from the testicles and the prostate.

The feeling of a prostate orgasm is generally more intense than penile orgasms

The orgasm sensation also differs between penile and prostate orgasms. The feeling of a prostate orgasm is generally more intense than penile orgasms. Prostate orgasms can involve up to twelve pelvic contractions, compared to penile orgasms which typically offer between four and eight.

Furthermore, it takes less time to recover from a prostate orgasm compared to a penile orgasm. This leads to prostate massages being associated with multiple orgasms. It’s possible to reach simultaneous orgasms while stimulating the penis and the prostate at the same time. Timing this will take some practice as the penis is known to return to a flaccid state after a prostate orgasm.

Prostate massage health benefits

While prostate massages are usually done for pleasure purposes, they may also offer health benefits. Prostate inflammation can cause issues including urinary problems, prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). When you massage the prostate, fluids are released from the prostate ducts releasing pressure from the area.

If you’re considering massaging your prostate for a health condition, make sure you consult your medical professional before doing so

If you’re considering massaging your prostate for a health condition, make sure you consult your medical professional before doing so. They can offer advice on whether this would be a beneficial option for you in line with your medical history and current prostate health.

Safety advice and considerations

You’re working with a sensitive area so taking a cautious approach is recommended. Take note of the following safety tips before attempting a prostate massage.

  • Consult a doctor if you feel any pain during or after the massage.
  • Use a lubricant when using a finger or a prostate massager.
  • Water-based lubes offer the least chance of an adverse reaction.
  • Trim your nails before massaging your prostate with a finger.
  • Take your time and be gentle when massaging the prostate.
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