Testicular Self-Exam & Lump Checker

It takes about two minutes and is easiest during or right after a warm shower or bath, when the skin of the scrotum is relaxed. Check one testicle at a time. Cup it in both hands and gently roll it between your thumbs and fingers, feeling the whole surface. You're getting to know what's normal for you and feeling for anything new — a hard, usually painless lump, swelling, or a change in size, shape, or firmness. While you're there, find the epididymis: a soft, comma-shaped tube along the back of the testicle that stores and carries sperm. It's a normal structure, not a lump. Doing this monthly means you'll notice quickly if something changes.

Not necessarily — most scrotal lumps and swellings turn out to be benign. Common harmless causes include cysts, a varicocele (varicose veins in the scrotum), a hydrocele (a collection of fluid), and infection of the epididymis. But the classic sign of testicular cancer is a hard, usually painless lump on the testicle itself, and only a clinician can tell these apart — usually with a quick, painless ultrasound. The key thing to remember is that painless does not mean harmless. Get any new lump, swelling, or change looked at promptly rather than waiting to see if it goes away: testicular cancer found early is highly curable, and prompt evaluation keeps things simple.

It can be, and it's the one situation here that shouldn't wait. Sudden, severe pain in one testicle — especially with swelling, nausea, or vomiting, or a testicle that suddenly rides high or sits at an odd angle — can be testicular torsion, where the spermatic cord twists and cuts off the blood supply. It is time-critical: treated within a few hours the testicle can usually be saved, so go to the emergency room or call 911 rather than waiting to see if it settles. This is different from the slow, painless lump that suggests cancer. Sudden pain can also come from an infection, but a doctor needs to sort out which it is urgently.

Testicular cancer is uncommon overall, but it is the most common cancer in males roughly 15 to 35 — through the teens, twenties, and into the thirties (the American Cancer Society puts the average age at diagnosis at about 33). The reassuring part is that it is one of the most treatable and curable cancers, especially when it's found early — and most cases are first noticed by the man himself as a painless lump or a change in a testicle. Experts differ on routine self-exams, though: the American Cancer Society doesn't recommend a monthly exam for all men — it hasn't been studied enough to show it lowers deaths — and reserves that advice for men with risk factors, while the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends against screening men who have no symptoms. What they agree on is that knowing your normal and acting promptly on any change matters. A self-exam is a way to notice a change and start a conversation, not a proven screening test or a substitute for medical care.

No — they're normal parts of your anatomy, and learning them is the whole point of a self-exam. The epididymis is a soft, comma-shaped tube along the back of each testicle that stores and carries sperm; it can feel slightly tender or rope-like and is easy to mistake for a lump the first time you notice it. The spermatic cord runs upward from the top of each testicle toward the body. It's also completely normal for one testicle to be a little larger, or to hang slightly lower, than the other. Getting familiar with these normal structures is how you'll recognise when something genuinely new or different appears, which is what actually deserves a clinician's look.

Yes. This tool runs entirely in your browser. Anything you tick is checked on your own device and is never sent to a server, saved, or shared — close the tab and it's gone. It's general educational information based on guidance from the American Cancer Society, the Urology Care Foundation, and MedlinePlus; it can't diagnose you, and it doesn't replace a clinician. A self-exam is a way to notice changes early and to have a faster, better-informed conversation if something comes up — not a substitute for medical care.