Testicular self-examination
Encyclopedia
Because testicular cancer
is a significant killer of teenage boys and younger men (roughly ages 15-35 or 40), doctors
recommend monthly self-examination.
Men from puberty onwards should examine their testes
after a hot shower or bath, when the scrotum
is looser. They should first examine each testicle separately, feeling for lumps, and then compare them to see whether one is larger than the other. By doing this each month, males will become familiar with what is normal for them.
Their testicles should be examined by a doctor if they notice any of the following:
Some symptoms of testicular cancer (which is usually painless, however, in the early stages are common to other disorders of the male urinary tract and reproductive organs, which may also need medical attention from a doctor. These include hydrocele testis
, a varicocele
, a spermatocele
, other genitourinary cancers, urinary tract infections or sexually transmitted infections, or testicular torsion. These are all conditions that should be investigated by a doctor; some of these disorders need quick treatment to preserve reproductive and urinary function and one's health and life.
Sometimes, if a young adult male has a spouse or partner, they will perform or assist in the exam, which then may be done also as a form of sex play and/or foreplay. Detection, treatment, and cure rates of male genitourinary disorders, like other male health problems, are higher if both the young adult male and his spouse or partner are actively involved in the process (their spouses or partners often are the ones that spot the disorder, and then convince their male spouse or partner to get it treated, when it may not have been discovered and dealt with without them).
Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. In the UK, approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of...
is a significant killer of teenage boys and younger men (roughly ages 15-35 or 40), doctors
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
recommend monthly self-examination.
Men from puberty onwards should examine their testes
Testicle
The testicle is the male gonad in animals. Like the ovaries to which they are homologous, testes are components of both the reproductive system and the endocrine system...
after a hot shower or bath, when the scrotum
Scrotum
In some male mammals the scrotum is a dual-chambered protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles and divided by a septum. It is an extension of the perineum, and is located between the penis and anus. In humans and some other mammals, the base of the scrotum becomes covered with curly...
is looser. They should first examine each testicle separately, feeling for lumps, and then compare them to see whether one is larger than the other. By doing this each month, males will become familiar with what is normal for them.
Their testicles should be examined by a doctor if they notice any of the following:
- a lump in one testicle
- pain or tenderness in the testicles, then, later, in the scrotum, penis, and near the inguinal (groin area) lymph nodes and in the thighs; in distant metastatic illness, in the back or chest (usually pain is seen later in the course of the cancer)
- blood in semenSemenSemen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
during ejaculationEjaculationEjaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...
(a small amount once is not necessarily cause for worry and rarely is caused by testicular cancer; when it does occur it may be later in the course of the cancer or may occur if a blood vessel has been injured) or blood in the urine (hematuriaHematuriaIn medicine, hematuria, or haematuria, is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It may be idiopathic and/or benign, or it can be a sign that there is a kidney stone or a tumor in the urinary tract , ranging from trivial to lethal...
, which is nearly always pathological and should be investigated by a doctor in any event) - build-up of fluid in the scrotum
- a change in the size of one testicle or the relative sizes of the two (but it is normal for one testicle to be (and stay) slightly larger than the other, and for one to hang slightly lower than the other)
Some symptoms of testicular cancer (which is usually painless, however, in the early stages are common to other disorders of the male urinary tract and reproductive organs, which may also need medical attention from a doctor. These include hydrocele testis
Hydrocele testis
A hydrocele testis is an accumulation of clear fluid in the tunica vaginalis, the most internal of membranes containing a testicle. A primary hydrocele causes a painless enlargement in the scrotum on the affected side and is thought to be due to the defective absorption of fluid secreted between...
, a varicocele
Varicocele
Varicocele , also known as varicoscele or varicose seal, is an abnormal enlargement of the vein that is in the scrotum draining the testicles. The testicular blood vessels originate in the abdomen and course down through the inguinal canal as part of the spermatic cord on their way to the testis...
, a spermatocele
Spermatocele
Spermatocele is a retention cyst of a tubule of the rete testis or the head of the epididymis distended with barely watery fluid that contains spermatozoa. Spermatoceles are the most common cystic condition encountered within the scrotum. They vary in size from several millimeters to many...
, other genitourinary cancers, urinary tract infections or sexually transmitted infections, or testicular torsion. These are all conditions that should be investigated by a doctor; some of these disorders need quick treatment to preserve reproductive and urinary function and one's health and life.
Sometimes, if a young adult male has a spouse or partner, they will perform or assist in the exam, which then may be done also as a form of sex play and/or foreplay. Detection, treatment, and cure rates of male genitourinary disorders, like other male health problems, are higher if both the young adult male and his spouse or partner are actively involved in the process (their spouses or partners often are the ones that spot the disorder, and then convince their male spouse or partner to get it treated, when it may not have been discovered and dealt with without them).