Testicular Self-Exam
You should become familiar with the way your testicles normally look and feel. That way you will be more likely to notice any changes. Some men use testicular self-exams (TSEs) to check their testicles. If you would like to learn how to do a TSE, your clinician can teach you. Lumps and other changes are also noticed during activities such as showering or sex play. Many lumps are not cancerous — they may be caused by injury, infection, or other conditions. But report anything unusual to your clinician as soon as possible.
The best time for a TSE is after a warm shower or bath, when the tissue in the scrotum is relaxed and hangs more loosely.
1. Move your penis out of the way and look at your testicles in a mirror. Check for any swelling or bumps. Make sure that each of your testicles is about the same size as the other. It is normal for one to be slightly larger than the other.
2. Hold one testicle with your index and middle fingers underneath and your thumb on top. The testicle is normally oval, smooth, and firm.
- Feel for lumps by rolling it gently between your thumb and fingers. Note any changes in size, shape, or feel.
- Check out the epididymis — a soft, tightly coiled tube in which sperm mature — along the top and back of each testicle. It may feel a little bumpier than the testicle.
- Also feel the spaghetti-like tube called the vas deferens that goes up from the epididymis. It should feel like a smooth cord.
Knowing how all these parts feel will help keep you from confusing them with cancerous lumps.
3. Repeat the exam on your other testicle.
|
