The Care and Keeping of a Prostate
Or: Why A Lot Of Fics Make Lucy Cringe, Then Laugh Hysterically
Buttsex can be very fun for dudes who choose in engage in it with each other (or a girl with fingers and/or a toy). We all know this by now. And I think we also know that it can be very NOT fun, and that a lot of guys don't enjoy bottoming because they just straight up don't like how it feels. But I think it is safe to say that we generally do not want to write about guys bottoming and not liking it, because we want orgasms and joy and eternal love and lots of hot sweaty fucking.
SO.
I am going to begin with the statement that this anatomical guide to a very important part of the male ass-ial region is not meant to force everyone to be completely clinical and realistic at all times. It's perfectly fine to gloss over the prostate completely (so to speak!), or to only vaguely mention it, or to use euphemisms that are not eye-burningly horrible ("that place" strikes me as perfectly acceptable for a character to think in the heat of the moment, for example). What it IS intended to do, however, is show in no uncertain terms what is WRONG. Because I have seen some real corkers in all my years of reading smut, let me tell you. I want to give a kind of basic knowledge so that everyone can just, like. Have the ability to make educated decisions about what to include and not include. And so that maybe, just maybe, in future someone will remember something I have said here and we can avoid yet another anatomically incorrect buttsex incident. Having said that, if you have referenced the prostate in a fic of yours in the past in a less-than-completely-factual manner, that is okay! I do not judge you! I may even have loved the fic. I just want to help! ANYWAY. ON TO THE LECTURE.
1) Prostate Structure and Function
The prostate is an exocrine gland found in male mammals. It has a few different purposes. Firstly, it stores and secretes prostatic fluid that combines with sperm and other seminal fluids (produced by seminal vesicles) to create semen. (Quick aside: the seminal fluid is supposed to be slightly basic in pH in order to make the naturally acidic vaginal tract more conducive to sustaining the sperm cells.) The prostate is also constructed partially of smooth muscle, which is used to expel the semen from the urethra during ejaculation.
Notice how the prostate is a gland! Constructed partially of smooth muscle! And it stores fluid! This means that it is not a bundle of nerves. A clitoris is a bundle of nerves. A prostate is not. To illustrate this further, think of it in terms of its development. When a fetus is turning into a person, the prostate is formed (due to the presence of androgens, the male hormones) from the modified wall of the proximal portion of the urethra. A bunch of glandular and non-glandular components fuse together there, into one composite organ. In an adult, it's about the diameter of a condom, and has four glandular regions which correspond to the lobes, and which are not important in this particular case, so I'll ignore them.
2) Position of the Prostate Inside the Body
The prostate surrounds the top of the urethra like a glandular donut. It's right under the bladder, behind the pubic bone, and ADJACENT TO the rectum. The rectal wall separates the anal passage from the prostate, i.e. you cannot directly touch the surface of the prostate with something inside the rectum. The "bend" where the prostate rests on the other side of the rectal wall is in the outer-most third of the rectum (the most sensitive portion!), about two inches in from the anus and angled towards the belly. If you're looking externally, the prostate would be within the perineum, which is the area of skin between the testicles and the anus. (SEE IMAGES for all of this.)
3) Sexual Stimulation of the Prostate
The prostate swells when the man is aroused, and can be stimulated by fingers/a dick/a toy inserted into the rectum, because it (the object) will push into the prostate, separated from it by the rectal wall. The gland has a large amount of nerve transference, so it feels really good (overwhelmingly so, to some). The area where this occurs is sometimes called the "P-spot". It can greatly increase the intensity of orgasms when massaged, and sexual arousal before orgasm as well (i.e. better/harder/stronger/bigger erection). Some men orgasm from prostate stimulation alone, actual penile stimulation rendered unnecessary because the sensation is so intense. Prostate stimulation in men is often compared to stimulating the G-spot in women, as they involve analogous structures and sensations (the female version of the prostate, stimulated through the wall of the vagina at the G-spot, is called Skene's gland).
Notice how the analogous female erogenous zone is not the clitoris! It is the G-spot! This is a good way to remember that methods of effective stimulation of the prostate are different than clitoral stimulation. For example, one cannot just brush over the "P-spot" and provoke an intense reaction. It requires a massaging-type action! You have to push at the rectal wall to rub firmly against the prostate. It also isn't generally immediately effective after just one or two "rubs"; it's much better to repeatedly knead (for lack of a better word) at it, whether it be gently, with a crooked finger in a come-hither type gesture, or harder, with a cock, or any of a billion different sex toys. (See images for that, too!)
In order to best stimulate the prostate, "doggy-style" is often preferred because it offers the best angle and opportunity for deep penetration. If the receiving partner is on his back and the fucking is occurring in basic missionary style, his hips should be angled up, or the partner doing the penetrating should have a dick/toy that curves slightly upward in order to be most effective.
4) Visual Aids
(All of these images are in the public domain; many are from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, Wikipedia, NIH, etc.)
Here is the prostate in relation to other structures and parts of the male reproductive system.
There are NO DIAGRAMS OF BUTTSEX ON THE INTERNET. ANYWHERE. It is very sad. So you will have to imagine the entry of the peen into the butthole and the subsequent motion that results in prostate stimulation.
The closest I could find were these two diagrams of toys designed to work the P-spot and perineum, which show the basic idea. First, the Aneros prostate massager:
And the Rude Boy:
ETA: From improperlydone! AWESOME. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!
The prostate in relation to the penis (from the side).
The prostate in relation to the bladder (from the front).
A photo of the perineum and surrounding external organs/structures.
1. Perineum. 2. Raphe perinealis. 3. Anus. 4. Testicles, Scrotum. 5. Raphe scrotalis
5) Links
The Healthy Prostate
The Prostate Gland Owners [sic] Manual (in .pdf)
Prostate Stimulation and Orgasm - Toys and Information (links after blurb to more information on anal sex and male sexual anatomy)
Questions? Comments? HIT ME UP, GUYS!
(ETA: SOMEONE STOP ME AHAHAHAHA!)
Buttsex can be very fun for dudes who choose in engage in it with each other (or a girl with fingers and/or a toy). We all know this by now. And I think we also know that it can be very NOT fun, and that a lot of guys don't enjoy bottoming because they just straight up don't like how it feels. But I think it is safe to say that we generally do not want to write about guys bottoming and not liking it, because we want orgasms and joy and eternal love and lots of hot sweaty fucking.
SO.
I am going to begin with the statement that this anatomical guide to a very important part of the male ass-ial region is not meant to force everyone to be completely clinical and realistic at all times. It's perfectly fine to gloss over the prostate completely (so to speak!), or to only vaguely mention it, or to use euphemisms that are not eye-burningly horrible ("that place" strikes me as perfectly acceptable for a character to think in the heat of the moment, for example). What it IS intended to do, however, is show in no uncertain terms what is WRONG. Because I have seen some real corkers in all my years of reading smut, let me tell you. I want to give a kind of basic knowledge so that everyone can just, like. Have the ability to make educated decisions about what to include and not include. And so that maybe, just maybe, in future someone will remember something I have said here and we can avoid yet another anatomically incorrect buttsex incident. Having said that, if you have referenced the prostate in a fic of yours in the past in a less-than-completely-factual manner, that is okay! I do not judge you! I may even have loved the fic. I just want to help! ANYWAY. ON TO THE LECTURE.
1) Prostate Structure and Function
The prostate is an exocrine gland found in male mammals. It has a few different purposes. Firstly, it stores and secretes prostatic fluid that combines with sperm and other seminal fluids (produced by seminal vesicles) to create semen. (Quick aside: the seminal fluid is supposed to be slightly basic in pH in order to make the naturally acidic vaginal tract more conducive to sustaining the sperm cells.) The prostate is also constructed partially of smooth muscle, which is used to expel the semen from the urethra during ejaculation.
Notice how the prostate is a gland! Constructed partially of smooth muscle! And it stores fluid! This means that it is not a bundle of nerves. A clitoris is a bundle of nerves. A prostate is not. To illustrate this further, think of it in terms of its development. When a fetus is turning into a person, the prostate is formed (due to the presence of androgens, the male hormones) from the modified wall of the proximal portion of the urethra. A bunch of glandular and non-glandular components fuse together there, into one composite organ. In an adult, it's about the diameter of a condom, and has four glandular regions which correspond to the lobes, and which are not important in this particular case, so I'll ignore them.
2) Position of the Prostate Inside the Body
The prostate surrounds the top of the urethra like a glandular donut. It's right under the bladder, behind the pubic bone, and ADJACENT TO the rectum. The rectal wall separates the anal passage from the prostate, i.e. you cannot directly touch the surface of the prostate with something inside the rectum. The "bend" where the prostate rests on the other side of the rectal wall is in the outer-most third of the rectum (the most sensitive portion!), about two inches in from the anus and angled towards the belly. If you're looking externally, the prostate would be within the perineum, which is the area of skin between the testicles and the anus. (SEE IMAGES for all of this.)
3) Sexual Stimulation of the Prostate
The prostate swells when the man is aroused, and can be stimulated by fingers/a dick/a toy inserted into the rectum, because it (the object) will push into the prostate, separated from it by the rectal wall. The gland has a large amount of nerve transference, so it feels really good (overwhelmingly so, to some). The area where this occurs is sometimes called the "P-spot". It can greatly increase the intensity of orgasms when massaged, and sexual arousal before orgasm as well (i.e. better/harder/stronger/bigger erection). Some men orgasm from prostate stimulation alone, actual penile stimulation rendered unnecessary because the sensation is so intense. Prostate stimulation in men is often compared to stimulating the G-spot in women, as they involve analogous structures and sensations (the female version of the prostate, stimulated through the wall of the vagina at the G-spot, is called Skene's gland).
Notice how the analogous female erogenous zone is not the clitoris! It is the G-spot! This is a good way to remember that methods of effective stimulation of the prostate are different than clitoral stimulation. For example, one cannot just brush over the "P-spot" and provoke an intense reaction. It requires a massaging-type action! You have to push at the rectal wall to rub firmly against the prostate. It also isn't generally immediately effective after just one or two "rubs"; it's much better to repeatedly knead (for lack of a better word) at it, whether it be gently, with a crooked finger in a come-hither type gesture, or harder, with a cock, or any of a billion different sex toys. (See images for that, too!)
In order to best stimulate the prostate, "doggy-style" is often preferred because it offers the best angle and opportunity for deep penetration. If the receiving partner is on his back and the fucking is occurring in basic missionary style, his hips should be angled up, or the partner doing the penetrating should have a dick/toy that curves slightly upward in order to be most effective.
4) Visual Aids
(All of these images are in the public domain; many are from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, Wikipedia, NIH, etc.)
Here is the prostate in relation to other structures and parts of the male reproductive system.
There are NO DIAGRAMS OF BUTTSEX ON THE INTERNET. ANYWHERE. It is very sad. So you will have to imagine the entry of the peen into the butthole and the subsequent motion that results in prostate stimulation.
The closest I could find were these two diagrams of toys designed to work the P-spot and perineum, which show the basic idea. First, the Aneros prostate massager:
And the Rude Boy:
ETA: From improperlydone! AWESOME. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!
The prostate in relation to the penis (from the side).
The prostate in relation to the bladder (from the front).
A photo of the perineum and surrounding external organs/structures.
1. Perineum. 2. Raphe perinealis. 3. Anus. 4. Testicles, Scrotum. 5. Raphe scrotalis
5) Links
The Healthy Prostate
The Prostate Gland Owners [sic] Manual (in .pdf)
Prostate Stimulation and Orgasm - Toys and Information (links after blurb to more information on anal sex and male sexual anatomy)
Questions? Comments? HIT ME UP, GUYS!
(ETA: SOMEONE STOP ME AHAHAHAHA!)