Here’s how to self-check your balls in 5 easy steps

• 1

  Timing - check your testicles after a warm shower or bath so the scrotum is relaxed and the testicles have dropped.

• 2

  One at a time - Place your thumb on the top side of your testicle and the index/middle fingers behind it. Roll the testicle gently between your fingers. Apply a bit of pressure when you do this.

• 3

  Normal? - Normal adult size is around 6-20ml (about the size of an acorn up to medium sized date). Your testicle should feel firm and smooth, a bit like a hard boiled egg. In general, the left testicle is slightly larger than the right. Look out for any lumps or nodules along the front and side of the testicle. If you feel a soft but bumpy tube at the top back of the testicle then don’t panic - this is tube that carries the sperm. It’s called the “epididymis” and it’s normal.

• 4

  What do lumps feel like? - It can be anything from the size of a grain of rice to a big bean. Sometimes these lumps are painful to touch and sometimes they are not.

• 5

  Repeat - go through the same procedure with the other testicle.

If you believe your testicular size to be small please see your doctor to have them checked against an orchidometer. If you find a lump during your self-examination then go and get it checked out by the doctor right away. Do not panic. It may have been there for a long time and have gone unnoticed. It might be nothing to worry about at all, but see your doctor.

See your doctor