How To Do a Monthly Testicular Self Exam

Written by Dr. Andrew Siegel

Most testes lumps, bumps and growths are benign and not problematic. Although cancer of the testicles is rare (less than 9,000 cases a year in the USA), it is the most common solid cancer in young men age 15-40, with the greatest incidence in the late 20s, striking men at the peak of life.

Notable men who are members of the testicle cancer club include: Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong, baseball player Scott Shoenweis, skater Scott Hamilton, MTV Host Tom Green, comedian Richard Belzer, sportswriter Robert Lipsyte, and Olympian Eric Shanteau.

The good news is that it is a highly curable cancer, especially so when picked up in its earliest stages, and also potentially curable even at advanced stages.

How to do a testicular self exam, a simple task that can be lifesaving

Since only 5% or so of men with testicular cancer are diagnosed by a physician during a routine physical exam, and 95% are picked up in the follow up of a testes abnormality noted by a man or his partner, it makes a lot of sense to learn how to do a good self exam.

Note: For most men, touching/manipulating/rearranging their nether parts is a natural and almost reflex activity that—supplemented with a little instruction, knowledge and direction—can be put to some practical clinical use. What follows is appropriate for the partner of the man in question. If your man is not willing to do self-exams, at a moment of intimacy do a “stealth” exam under the guise of affection—it just might be lifesaving. Several times in my career as a urologist, it was the man’s partner that was astute enough to recognize a problem that prompted the patient visit that determined the diagnosis of testicular cancer.

The goal of a testicular self-exam is to pick up an abnormality– in a very early and treatable stage–at a time when testes cancer is a localized issue that has not spread to the lymph nodes or lungs, which are common sites of metastasis.

Because sperm production requires that testes are kept cooler than core temperature, nature has conveniently designed men with testicles dangling from their mid-sections. There are no organs in the body—save female breasts—that are more external and easily accessible to examination. One of the great advantages of having one’s gonads located in such an accessible locale—conveniently “gift wrapped” in the scrotal satchel—is that it makes them so easy to examine. This is as opposed to the ovaries, which are internal and not amenable to ready inspection. This explains why early testes cancer diagnosis is a cinch as opposed to ovarian cancer, which most often presents at a more advanced stage.

The testicles can be examined anywhere, but a warm shower or bath is an ideal setting as the warm water tends to relax and thin the scrotal sac and allow the testes to descend to a position that is most accessible. Soapy skin will eliminate friction and allow the examining fingers to easily roll over the testicles.

The exam is best performed with the thumb in front and the remaining fingers behind the testicles. The four fingers immobilize and support the testicle and the thumb does the important work in examining the front, sides, top and bottom of the testicle; then the thumb immobilizes the front while the four fingers examine the back of the testes. When examining the back surface of the testicle, the index and middle fingers will do most of the work. The motion is a gentle rolling one, feeling the size, shape, and contour and checking for the presence of lumps and bumps.

Compare the two testes in terms of size, shape and consistency. Generally, the testicles feel firm, similar to the consistency of hard-boiled eggs, although this can vary between individuals and even in an individual. Lumps can vary in size from a kernel of rice to a large mass many times the size of the normal testes. The epididymis is a comet-shaped structure located above and behind the testes that is responsible for sperm storage and maturation. It has a head, a body and tail, and it is worthwhile running your fingers over this structure as well.

This exam should be done regularly—perhaps every couple of weeks or so—such that you get to know your (or your partner’s) anatomy to the extent that you will be attuned to a subtle change. Once you get in the habit of doing this on a regular basis, it will become second nature and virtually a subconscious activity that only takes a few moments.

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