How to Do a Testicular Self-Examination

The best time to examine testicles is during or after a shower or bath. The warm water allows the scrotum to relax and the testicles to drop down. The left testicle normally hangs a bit lower than the right. It is common for one testicle to be larger than the other one.

Young men should examine themselves once a month. More frequent exams actually may result in missing a slowly changing lump.

How to conduct a testicular self-exam

• Support each testicle with one hand and examine it with the other.
  
  
• Gently roll each testicle between the thumb and fingers. Testicles should feel firm and smooth, about the consistency of a hard-boiled egg without the shell.
  
  
• The epididymis is a ropelike structure attached to the back of the testis. This structure is not an abnormal lump
  
  
• Feel for firm masses, lumps, or nodules in the testicle. In cancer, these lumps often are painless.
  
  
• Become familiar with normal size, shape, and weight of each testicle and epididymis. This will help you recognize a change from one self-examination to another, if a change should occur.