Testicular cancer is the most common cancer for male-bodied people between the ages of 20 and 35. Testicular cancer can spread quickly, but it is an easy cancer to detect with a monthly self-exam and can be treated. So get to know your nuts! Familiarity with them now can make you more sensitive to irregularities later.
~It’s best to do all this after a hot shower, when the scrotum is loose and relaxed. Stand up and elevate one leg for easier access to your scrotum. You can sit or lay down if it’s more comfortable.
~Take one testicle in your hands, with your thumbs on top of it and index and middle fingers on the bottom. (See the diagram below.) Gently roll it between your thumbs and fingers slowly feeling the whole surface area of your testicle. When you’re done with one, move on to the other.
Your balls should fee smooth and slightly spongy. (It’s normal for the tubular epdidymis at the rear to feel less smooth than the testes. ) You should be on the look out for:
~A hard lump—as small as a pea or as large as a golf ball. Don’t completely freak out if you find one. You can’t tell the differennce between a cyst and seminomas yourself. But if you find a lump, get it checked out.
~Hardness in the entire testicle. This is usually the result of hydrocele, a cystic mass in the nut caused by a leaky hernia, prior trauma or infection—easily treatable.
~Changes in size or color. It’s normal for one to be larger or hang lower than the other. If there’s a noticeable change, something may be up.