What It Really Means To 'Milk' A Man's Prostate

If your first thought upon hearing the words "milking your prostate" is "Is this some kind of weird new sex thing?", you're only partially correct. 

While the practice has become more strongly associated with sexual pleasure in modern times, the concept of massaging the prostate — the gland responsible for producing semen in people assigned male at birth — has been around for more than a century. More importantly, it's not quite as strange as you may think.

Per Medical News Today, one milks the prostate (either their own or someone else's) by gently massaging it — internally or externally — until it produces fluid. Understandably, prostate milking may sound like an awkward procedure to people who haven't tried it. Interestingly, it has actual practical benefits that extend beyond sexual pleasure.

As explained in a 1922 article published in JAMA, men have been enjoying therapeutic prostate massages since at least the 1890s, mainly to treat chronic prostatitis. Considering how their other options at the time included "applications to the perineum in the form of counterirritation, heat, cupping, leeches and the like," this was almost certainly a welcome alternative.

Prostate milking serves an important diagnostic purpose as well (via WebMD). If you are exhibiting symptoms of prostatitis, your doctor may opt to milk your prostate. The resulting fluid (called, appropriately enough, prostate fluid) will then be collected, inspected, and tested, which will help the doctor determine the root of your prostate woes (e.g., an infection). A prostate massage can also provide relief for patients with prostatitis — given alongside nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other medications — or prostate enlargement. Some have their prostates milked as a potential solution to erectile dysfunction or weak urine flow. However, more research is necessary to verify if milking the prostate actually works for these problems.

With that said, milking your prostate does come with its own share of risks. An inexperienced masseur may cause discomfort to themself (or to the person whose prostate they are milking) by being too forceful when doing it. Additionally, a prostate massage can actually make things worse for you if the kind of prostatitis you have was brought about by bacteria (acute bacterial prostatitis).

Unless it's for the purpose of pleasure, you'll want to leave milking your prostate to a healthcare professional. Typically, a doctor does this by using a gloved finger inserted into your rectum to press on your prostate until it generates fluid (via WebMD).

However, if you have a healthy prostate and are feeling adventurous, you or a partner can try this at home. First, make sure that the instrument you'll use for the massage is properly cleaned and lubricated. If you're using fingers, make sure that the hand is wearing a glove. You can either lie face down, rest on your hands and knees, or lie on your side or flat on your back. Then, you can either insert the finger into your anus until it reaches the gland (for internal stimulation) or gently massage the perineum, the soft area between your rectum and your scrotum (for an external massage). If the activity ceases to be pleasurable, stop; otherwise, you can keep going until your prostate produces fluid.