Check your balls (NSFW) WARNING: This article feature a video of male nudity. Testicular cancer is on the rise and it’s recommended that men and trans people with male genitalia give yourself a good once-over every month. This is not only to check if something’s wrong, but also so you get used to the shape and feel of your balls and sack so that you’ll notice if something changes. 1 - Have a warm shower or bath – then your ball sack will be more relaxed, and abnormalities will be easier to detect. 2 - First, roll your testicles between your thumb and forefinger. Check for any hard, non-sensitive lumps. Doing this examination should not cause you any pain. Don’t worry if one testicle is bigger than the other, this isn’t unusual. 3 - Feel around the top and the back of your balls to find the epididymis , which is the tube behind your balls that collects and carries sperm. This is more sensitive than the rest of your scrotum. Once you’re familiar with this part of your scrotum, you won’t mistake it for a lump. Examine the vas (the sperm-carrying tube that extends from the epididymis) of each testicle. Cancerous lumps are generally found on the sides of your balls, but may also appear on the front. Lumps on the epididymis are not cancerous.Other signs of testicular cancer are: - Any enlargement or significant drop in the size of a testicle (this is why it’s good to be aware from the beginning if you have one testicle bigger than the other). - A feeling of heaviness or a dull ache in the scrotum or lower abdomen. - A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum. - Pain or discomfort in a testicle or the scrotum. How common is testicular cancer? Testicular cancer is relatively uncommon, accounting for just 1% of all cancers that occur in men. Each year in the UK around 2,090 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer, according to Cancer Research UK. Testicular cancer is unusual compared with other cancers because it tends to affect younger men. As a result, although relatively uncommon overall, testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer to affect men between the ages of 15 and 44. Rates of testicular cancer are five times higher in white men than in Black men. The reasons for this are unclear. The number of cases of testicular cancer that are diagnosed each year in the UK has roughly doubled since the mid-1970s. Again, the reasons for this are unclear. For more information about testicular cancer, visit www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-testicle. If you find any lumps that feel strange or unusual, see a doctor as soon as possible. It may not be cancer but it’s better to be safe than sorry. For more info, visit: www.cancerresearchuk.org.