Timing: start at age 15, preferably once a month
Technique:
(1) Plan to do the examination on a regular basis, choosing a time when relaxed and not hurried or rushed.
(2) Taking a warm shower or bath prior to the examination helps make the scrotal skin relax.
(3) Stand in front of a mirror and look for any asymmetry in appearance in the scrotum.
(4) Use the fingers to palpate each testis in turn.
(5) Examine the epididymis on each side (usually located behind each testis).
(6) Follow each vas (feels like a small, movable, firm tube.
Things to look for:
(1) hard lumps or nodules in the testis
(2) enlargement of a testicle (some difference in size between the testicles is normal)
(3) significant loss in size in one of the testicles
(4) areas of pain or tenderness (the epididymis may be tender but palpation should not be painful)
(5) feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
(6) sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum
Additional findings that could indicate a male genital problem:
(1) development of hematuria, dysuria or a urethral discharge
(2) dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin
(3) enlargement or tenderness of the breasts
