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Basics

• Summary
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

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For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Testicles, or testes, make male hormones and sperm. They are two egg-shaped organs inside the scrotum, the loose sac of skin behind the penis. It's easy to injure your testicles because they are not protected by bones or muscles. Men and boys should wear athletic supporters when they play sports.

You should examine your testicles monthly and seek medical attention for lumps, redness, pain or other changes. Testicles can get inflamed or infected. They can also develop cancer. Testicular cancer is rare and highly treatable. It usually happens between the ages of 15 and 40.

Diagnosis and Tests

• DHEA Sulfate Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Genital Problems in Men (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Testicle Pain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Testosterone Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Ultrasound -- Scrotum (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Testicular Exam (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Treatments and Therapies

• Testicular torsion repair - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Varicocele Embolization (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Blood in Semen (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Discolored Semen: What Does It Mean? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Epididymitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Hydrocele (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Orchitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Penile Torsion (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Scrotal Masses (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Spermatocele (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Testicular Torsion (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Varicocele (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cryptorchidism (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Genital Diseases, Male (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Testicular Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Assessment of testicular parenchyma in COVID-19 patients: a case-control study using...
• Article: Magnetic resonance imaging features of epididymal and/or testicular tuberculosis: a case...
• Article: Changes in local mineral homeostasis facilitate the formation of benign and...
• Testicular Disorders -- see more articles

Children

• Communicating Hydrocele (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Hydrocele repair - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Male Reproductive System (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Quick Summary: Hydrocele (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Retractile Testicle (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Undescended Testicles (Cryptorchidism) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Pediatric Urologist? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Testicular Exams (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Testicular Injuries (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Testicular Torsion (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Varicocele (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Anorchia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hydrocele (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hydrocele repair (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Orchitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Scrotal masses (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Testicle lump (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Testicle pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Testicular self-exam (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Varicocele (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish