Testicular self-examination

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Because testicular cancer is a significant killer of teenage boys and grown men, 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:

a lump in one testicle
pain or tenderness
blood in sperm during ejaculation (a small amount once is not necessarily cause for worry and rarely is caused by testicular cancer)
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 slightly larger than the other)

Some symptoms are similar to those of a hydrocele testis, a pathology that also requires treatment, and should thus also be communicated to a doctor.