Outlook

If treated appropriately with antibiotics, your infection should clear up.

• Pain improves within 1-3 days.

• Swelling may take several weeks to go away.

• Complications are possible.

• Sterility: If the epididymitis involves both sides and is untreated, sterility may result (rarely, sterility can still occur even with antibiotic treatment).

• Scrotal abscess (an infection)

• Co-infection of the testicle (epididymo-orchitis)

• Sepsis (spread of infection into the bloodstream)

• Fournier gangrene (a severe and life-threatening infection of the scrotal area that kills the cells)