What happens if your testicles pop

Your urologist can often figure out how bad the injury to the testicle is with a physical exam. It's often easy for your urologist to feel the tough testicle cover, as well as the thin, soft epididymis. If all seem normal with no injury, your urologist will likely give you pain meds, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. You'll also be told to wear a jock strap to support the scrotum. If it's not clear if injury has occurred, your urologist may ask for a scrotal ultrasound scan.

Ultrasound uses sound waves bouncing off organs to make a picture of what's inside your body. Based on the same sonar sound waves that guide submarines, this device can safely image parts of the sac, including the testicle, epididymis and spermatic cord, to check the blood flow. In rare cases, the ultrasound leaves more questions than answers.

Your urologists may ask for magnetic resonance imaging MRI , a more sophisticated imaging technique. If any imaging study suggests testicular injury, the usual course of action is surgery. Under anesthesia, a cut is made in the scrotum and the contents are checked. If the testicle has torn, it can be repaired if it has good blood supply and the other testicle has enough of its cover. Your urologist will most often fix the tear with stitches and close the scrotum skin.

Sometimes an injury is so bad the testicle can't be fixed. In this case, your urologist will remove the testicle. This doesn't mean you can't father a child, though. Only 1 working testicle is needed for normal fertility. A single testicle will most often make normal amounts of sperm and testosterone. If your other testicle is normal, you should be able to get your partner pregnant.

If your physical exam and ultrasound suggest the injury has caused epididymitis, you'll likely be treated without surgery. You may be given anti-inflammatory meds such as ibuprofen and again be told to wear a jock strap. If needed, your urologist may also give you an antibiotic. It takes about 6 to 8 weeks for the swelling to go away.

You may have to have many follow-up visits with your urologist to chart your progress. If conservative measures meds and jock strap don't work, surgery may be needed and the testicle may have to be removed. There are many possible causes of scrotal or testicle pain, such as epididymitis, swelling of the testicle, and problems with other parts of the scrotum.

You should be checked by a urologist to find the source. Like many young men, you're likely checking yourself for the first time now that you've had a sporting injury. There's a good chance that the lump or "new" mass you've just felt is a normal part of the anatomy your epididymis.

But it could be an injury or even testicular cancer. Any new lump should be checked at once by a trained urologist. You'll definitely feel pain if your testicles are struck or kicked, and you might also feel nauseated for a short time.

If it's a minor testicular injury, the pain should gradually ease in less than an hour and any other symptoms should go away. To feel better, you can take a pain reliever, lie down, gently support the testicles with supportive underwear, and apply wrapped ice packs to the area.

It's a good idea to avoid strenuous activity for a while and take it easy for a few days. These are symptoms of a much more serious injury that needs care as soon as possible. Serious testicular injuries include testicular torsion and testicular rupture. Testicular torsion is when the testicle twists around, cutting off its blood supply.

It's rare, and when it does happen it's often for no clear reason. Occasionally torsion is due to a serious trauma to the testicles or heavy activity. Testicular torsion is a medical emergency.

It's most common in guys ages 12 to 18, so if you think it's happening to you, go to the emergency room right away. If doctors fix a torsion within 4 to 6 hours of when the pain starts, there's usually no lasting damage to the testicle. A torsion that isn't fixed quickly is likely to lead to loss of the testicle or permanently reduced sperm production.

Doctors sometimes fix a torsion manually by untwisting the testicle. If that doesn't work, they do a simple surgery. Testicular rupture is a rare type of testicular trauma. It can happen if the testicle gets a forceful direct blow or is crushed against the pubic bone , causing blood to leak into the scrotum.

Testicular rupture, like testicular torsion and other serious injuries to the testicles, causes extreme pain, swelling in the scrotum, nausea, and vomiting. Surgery is needed to fix the ruptured testicle. If you have to see a doctor, they'll first need to know how long you have been having pain and how severe it is. These symptoms can often be confused with an infection of the testicles.

An infection should not be considered until torsion has been ruled out. Urgent medical attention is needed to save the testicle when torsion is diagnosed.

Surgery must untwist the spermatic cord and restore blood flow to the testicle. A doctor uses physical examination and ultrasound scans to make the diagnosis. Sometimes, a doctor can only make a conclusive diagnosis at the time of surgical exploration. The survival rate of the affected testicle is poor unless surgery is performed within four to six hours of the injury. Unnecessary investigations should not take place if torsion is suspected, as delays to surgery can affect the viability of the testis.

If the blood supply has been disrupted for too long, the testis may not be viable or salvageable, and may need to be removed. In many cases, the surgeon will also secure the spermatic cord on the unaffected side, to prevent future torsion of the other testicle.

If the torted twisted testicle has to be removed, then a surgeon can put a prosthesis or silicone testis into the scrotum for cosmetic reasons usually at a later date. The appendix testicle is a small tissue structure located at the upper third of the testicle. Torsion of the appendix testicle means that the structure has twisted and cut off its blood supply. This condition is easily confused with testicular torsion because the symptoms are so similar.

However, the onset of pain is slower and the condition often presents with a noticeable blue dot on the surface of the scrotum. This blue dot is the darkened appendix testicle. Surgery is needed to correct the problem, but the testicle is not at risk. Testicular cancer is an abnormal growth or tumour that appears as a hard and usually painless lump in either testicle.

In most cases, testicular cancer can be cured if the person seeks medical treatment early. Surgical removal of the affected testicle orchidectomy is usually the first treatment for all testicular cancer. Testicles are easily injured because they are not protected by muscle or bone. The main types of possible injuries include:. A doctor can assess injuries to the testicles by physical examination and ultrasound.

If the testicles seem normal, the doctor may prescribe pain-relieving medication. Even without an ultrasound, a surgeon may choose to explore the testicle, particularly in cases of possible testicular torsion.

Surgery is usually performed under a general anaesthetic. Significant injury to the testicles may require surgical exploration and repair or, potentially, removal of the affected testis. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Did you know that deaths from injury are 2. That men are more likely to die from preventable diseases? The effects of androgen deficiency depend on how severe the deficiency is, its cause and the age at which the deficiency begins.

IVF in-vitro-fertilization and ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection are assisted reproductive treatment ART procedures in which fertilisation of an egg occurs outside the body.

The method of contraception you choose will depend on your general health, lifestyle and relationships.