Testicular Cancer Kills, So Learn to ‘Know Thy Nuts’

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness month. And, the men’s health advocates of The Movember Foundation want guys to get to “Know Thy Nuts.”

About 70,000 men in the world annually receive a diagnosis of cancer of the testicles. According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s the most common cancer found in American males between ages 15 and 35.

The good news: It’s still fairly rare, making up only 1% of all male tumors. More good news: When discovered early on in a man, it is highly treatable and the survival rate is 95%. The bad news: Most of those guys most vulnerable to the disease don’t know how to check their boys downstairs.

Online tool to help Know Thy Nuts

The Movember Foundation, a leading global organization dedicated to bringing awareness to serious health concerns for men, has created the Nuts & Bolts online tool to help dudes learn the essentials about testicular cancer. This includes:

• how to check for and recognize changes in one’s testicles
• what to do if you do notice something odd down there
• other symptoms to watch for
• what to expect if you go to the doctor for a checkup down under
• a community Q&A to help take the fear and mystery out of receiving a diagnosis
• what a diagnosis means for your sex life and chances of fathering a child later on

The Nuts & Bolts tool can even hook you up with a testicular cancer survivor to help guide you through your own treatment and recovery if you are diagnosed.

The vast majority of guys won’t find something wrong with their testicles, The Movember Foundation notes. However, the campaign stresses it’s important for men to check down there regularly. According to their website, about 70 percent of men don’t regularly give themselves a feel down there to see if everything is in order.

City Dads Group has regularly supported The Movember Foundation on its mission to make men more aware of health issues specific to their gender, such as prostate cancer, mental health issues and suicide. This includes its signature event: the November growing of mustaches to raise awareness and money for research.

Possible testicular cancer risk factors

• Undescended testicles at birth.
• Being related to someone who’s had testicular cancer.
• Having had testicular cancer before.
• Race and ethnicity – risk is higher in the United States and Europe, and lower in Africa and Asia.
• Common symptoms: Lump or swelling in testicle area; dull ache in abdomen or groin