AKA :
Average size @ 18 years: 12-25 cm3
Balls, Nads, Nuts, Jewels, Bollocks
You have two testicles inside your scrotum. They have two jobs:
- Make sperm. Up to 150 million per day. Enough to father a country the size of Russia. Respect.
- Make testosterone. This is the male hormone. It makes us grow stronger. It makes our pubes and penis grow and our voice deepen.
So why store such vital bits of equipment in a flimsy skin sack, ready to get kneed? Testicles need to be 1-2 degrees cooler than body temperature to work properly. In fact, they shrink when warmed up (don't try this at home).
Testicles start growing around 11-12 years old. This is usually the first sign of puberty.
Size
There is less variation in testicle size than in penis size. But bigger balls do not mean bigger dick (or better man).
Average size @ 10 years: 1-3 cm3 per testicle
Average size @ 18 years: 12-25 cm3
Puberty is underway when they reach 4 cm3
Both testicles should be about the same size and shape. It is common for one (often the left) to hang slightly lower than the other. It stops them knocking each other when you move.
Three reasons why we should examine your testicles regularly
- 200 men aged under 24 get cancer of the testicles every year in England and Wales. It's real.
- If detected early almost 100% of these cancers are curable.
- Why not? Is it such a hardship to have a (careful) rummage in that department?
What to do
- Standing up, take each ball in turn in both hands
- Feel gently, all round each ball
- They should feel smooth, firm and oval shaped
- Tell a doctor if you find any lumps, your balls are painful or one is bigger/heavier than the other.
Simple.
Fact:
The word 'testify' comes from the Roman habit of grabbing their balls when making an oath. Is that what they're doing in a free-kick line up, then?
Further help and advice
malehealth.co.uk/userpage1.cfm?item_id=135
nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=878
Written by Dr Melissa Sayer
Last updated 17th June 2007
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