Testicular Self-Examination – What Should You Know About It?

All healthcare providers and health organizations suggests that adult males should perform testicular self- examination on regular basis. But, why? How is this going to benefit you?

Doctors explain that men who undergo regular screenings are aware of how their body looks like when they are in healthy state. It also makes it easier to determine if something is going wrong and that they should consult a healthcare professional.

Hernia And Testicular Cancer

Hernia is a common condition that is often reported in young teens. Hernias are usually precipitated by weakness of abdominal wall in which a part of intestine gets entrapped inside the scrotum. If left poorly managed, the blood circulation towards the intestine stops. If not treated on time, it can lead to severe consequences. While on the other hand testicular cancers have become the second most common cancer among teens.

Both hernia and testicular cancers appears as bumps and lumps on the testicles. Therefore, it is recommended to self-examine testicles and if any changes are noticed, immediately refer to the doctor. It is not necessary that you go for detailed checkup if you notice any symptoms. If you are sexually active you should get screened for testicular cancer so that you will know what is normal and it will be easier to diagnose any abnormality in future; thereby making treatment easy and successful. Moreover, it will allow detection, prevention and spread of sexually transmitted infections.

What You Should Expect From A Testicular Exam?

Testicular exam is a quick and pain-free test in which doctors look for bumps, lumps, enlargement or hardening of testicles. Many people feel awkward about the idea of getting “touched” in fact some may get erection during the examination which can be embarrassing. But, all these reactions or hesitations are normal and doctors are quite unruffled about it. Usually doctors perform testicular screening as part of the annual checkup. If you are having testicular screening for the first time, inform your doctor so that they can explain things before the examination and tell how to perform more frequent testicular self-examination.

Testicular Self-Examination And Sexually Transmitted Infections

The best way to avoid sexually transmitted infections is sexual abstinence. However, many people won’t like this idea. If you don’t want to restrain from sex, make sure you use protection every time. However, using protection does not mean that you should ignore your health. A person should still be observant about their health and opt for self-screening and routine checkups. Keep in mind many STIs are asymptomatic in women and some will show symptoms when infection has already transmitted to the partner.

One should get themselves tested for STI, when observe following symptoms in genital area:

• Redness, rash, and swelling
• Sores and blisters
• Warts
• Lumps/bumps
• Heavy feeling in testicles
• Urination with burning pain
• Abnormal discharge from penis
• Itching
• Eggs or lice in pubic hair

Besides genital symptoms, if you notice:

• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Weight loss
• Jaundice
• Night sweats
• Hair loss

Go to your doctor.

One out of four sexually active teenager contracts sexually transmitted infections and by the age of 25, nearly half of the people will catch one or more STIs, according to a new study. However, there are several symptoms that may vary nature and experiencing any of them does not necessarily mean that you are having a STI. But, one should always be careful about their health. Better to be safe than sorry!

References

• Aberger, M., Wilson, B., Holzbeierlein, J. M., Griebling, T. L., & Nangia, A. K. (2014). Testicular self‐examination and testicular cancer: a cost‐utility analysis. Cancer medicine, 3(6), 1629-1634.
• Shepherd, L., Watt, C., & Lovell, B. (2016). The role of social–cognitive and emotional factors on testicular self‐examination. Psycho‐Oncology.
• Akar, Ş. Z., & Bebiş, H. (2014). Evaluation of the effectiveness of testicular cancer and testicular self-examination training for patient care personnel: intervention study. Health education research, 29(6), 966-976.