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In addition to asking about STDS, the boys also often
ask questions about other health problems. Here are some of the
questions they ask:
I've never had sex, but I have symptoms like you
said you get from STDS. I have pain; it burns when I urinate; and
sometimes, a little bit of stuff leaks out of my penis. If it's not
an STD, what is it?
There are a number of diseases other than STDs that
can cause these kinds of symptoms. For example, urethritis, an
infection of the urethra, or urinary tract, can cause these symptoms.
Sometimes urethritis germs are passed through sexual contact, but you
can also pick up these germs in other ways.
What is jock itch?
"Jock itch" or "jock rot" is a
fungus infection caused by wearing clothes that are too tight or that
don't let the air circulate freely. It causes redness, soreness, and
itching on the genitals and the inside of the thighs. Rubbing
cornstarch on the area may be enough to cure the problem, but
sometimes special medication from the doctor is needed to clear it
up. Keeping the area clean and dry, washing your clothes frequently,
and avoiding tight clothing will help prevent the problem.
What would happen if a boy only had one testicle?
Most males are born with two testicles. Every once in
a great while, someone is born with only one. Or, a man or boy could
have some sort of injury or accident that could crush one testicle so
badly that it had to be surgically removed.
If, for one reason or another, a man has only one
testicle, the other testicle takes over for the missing one and
produces enough sperm so that he'll still be able to make a woman
pregnant. His sex life and everything else about him will be
completely normal.
What is an undescended testicle?
Before a boy is born, his testicles are up inside his
body. Once he is born, they descend (come down) into his scrotal sac.
Sometimes one or both testicles don't descend, and the boy has what
doctors call an undescended testicle. (At times, cold weather, a cold
bath, excitement, or extreme physical activity will cause one or both
of a boy's testicles to retract, that is, to draw up close to his
body for a while. But this is a temporary condition. It's not the
same as an undescended testicle.)
No one knows what causes an undescended testicle, but
luckily, doctors do know how to cure it. Sometimes the doctor can use
medicine to make the testicle descend; at other times it's necessary
for the boy to have an operation.
I was masturbating and I didn't want to get semen
all over my pajamas, so I put my finger over the top of my penis just
as f was ejaculating so nothing would come out. And nothing did, but
for the last couple of days I've had this pain in my penis and this
milky stuff has come out. What should I do?
This kind of problem is not at all unusual among boys.
It's called retrograde ejaculation, and it happens when the semen is
prevented from spurting out through the opening in the glans of the
penis during ejaculation. In older men, there are certain medical
problems that cause retrograde ejaculation. But in boys, it usually
happens when the boy is masturbating, and for some reason or another
doesn't want to ejaculate. So, he puts his hand or thumb or something
over the opening in the penis as he's about to ejaculate, as the boy
who asked this question did.
Retrograde means "going backward." In
retrograde ejaculation, the semen can't come out the end of the
penis, so it travels backward down the urethra. It may be forced up
the tube that leads to the bladder, which can cause the urine to be
cloudy for some time afterwards. The semen may also be forced into
the prostate gland. In either case, there may be pain and discharge
from the penis.
In some instances, the symptoms will clear up all by
themselves, but often a doctor's care is needed. Although it may be
embarrassing for a boy to tell the doctor that he's been masturbating
and to explain how the retrograde ejaculation happened, it's
important to see the doctor if you have pain, a milky discharge, or
milky urine. If the semen is forced up into the prostate gland, the
tissues of the gland could become irritated and susceptible to
infection. The doctor can treat such infections with antibiotics and,
if necessary, with painkillers. For these reasons, it is not a good
idea to prevent your ejaculate from coming out the end of your penis.
My penis is sort of swollen and red and my foreskin
is stuck, so I can't pull it down. What's wrong?
Sometimes these symptoms are caused by a foreskin
that's too tight or a foreskin that has become stuck to the glans of
the penis. This can be quite uncomfortable and may cause pain and
swelling. Such problems can be cured by circumcision, and there are
sometimes other ways of treating the problem. It's important, though,
that you see a doctor and have the problem taken care of.
I have pain in my genitals, but I don't really want
to see a doctor. I've never had sex, so it can't be an STD. What
could it be?
It's a bit difficult to say what could be causing this
problem without knowing more. We've already explained about
urethritis, retrograde ejaculation, and foreskin problems-any of
which could cause pain in the genitals. In addition, here are some
other possibilities:
"Swollen glands": There are glands in your
genital area called lymph glands. It's possible, even ig you never
had sex, to get aninfection in these glands, which can result in pain
and swelling. Treatment with antibiotics usually cures the problem.
"Aching balls": This isn't really a
disease or a medical problem, but it can cause pain in the testicles
or genital area. Aching balls happens when a boy has an erection for
a long time without ejaculating or without having his penis get soft
again (because he's still sexually stimulated. For example, a boy
could have a long kissing session with his girlfriend that could
cause him to have a prolonged erection that might result in aching
balls. Even after his erection goes away, the achy feeling may
persist. It happens because the blood has been trapped in the erect
penis for such a long time. Although it may be uncomfortable for a
while, it's not a serious problem and doesn't require a doctor's
treatment. The achy feeling goes away in, at most, a few hours.
"Hernia": A hernia occurs when part
of the intestines bulge through a weak spot in the wall of the
abdomen. If it happens in the lower part of the abdomen, it can cause
pain in the genital area. If untreated, hernias can cause serious
medical problems. They are usually treated by surgery in which the
doctor repairs the weak spot.
"Twisted testicles": No one knows
just why this happens. It is rare, but when it does occur it is a
medical emergency. It usually follows some physical exertion and
causes extreme pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. It requires
immediate surgery.
I have these funny pimples (white) on my penis.
I've never had sex. Why does this happen?
It's most unlikely that you'd get an STD unless you
have some sort of sexual contact with another person. But the skin of
your penis, just like the skin on other parts of your body, is
subject to all sorts of pimples, bumps, warts, irritations,
birthmarks, scars, and so forth. The white pimple-like bumps may just
be blocked oil glands in the skin of the penis. Such pimples aren't
anything to worry about. Of course, anytime you have some problem
that bothers you, it's always a good idea to have it checked out by
your doctor.
I have this lump in my scrotum. It doesn't hurt;
what is it? Can boys get cancer of the scrotum?
Most lumps or bumps in the scrotum are the result of
cysts, which are collections of fluid. Some of these cysts will go
away by themselves; others require an operation. Although the vast
majority of lumps in boys' scrotums are not serious, it's a good idea
to get them checked by a doctor.
It is possible for boys to get cancer of the testicles
and scrotum, but it is very rare. When it does happen, the first
symptom is often a lump in the scrotum. This doesn't meant that all
lumps (or even most lumps) in the scrotal sac are cancerous lumps.
But because a few are, it's important to have any lump checked out by
a doctor. Although it can happen to older and younger men, testicle
cancer is most often found in young men between the ages of twenty
and thirty-five. The earlier it is found, the easier it is to cure.
For this reason, doctors recommend that boys and men practice a
regular testicular self-exam (TSE), which is explained below.
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Testicular self-exam. |
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It's best to examine your
scrotum right after a hot bath or shower. The scrotal skin is most
relaxed at this time, and the testicles can be felt more easily.
Examine each gently with the fingers of both hands. Put your index
and middle fingers on the under side of the testicle and your thumb
on the top. Roll Your testicle gently between you thumb and fingers,
feeling for a small lump about the size of a pea. Repeat this
procedure for the other testicle.
You should learn what the
epididymis feels like at the back of the testicle so that you won't
confuse it with art abnormality. If you do find anything abnormal,
most often it will be a firm area on the front or side of the testicle.
Testicular cancer constitutes
fewer than I percent of all cancers, but it is one of the most common
cancers in men aged twenty to thirty-five years. It's forty times
more likely to occur among men in whom the testes never descend to
the scrotum or descend after the age of six.
Most testicular cancers are
first discovered by men themselves. Since testicular cancers found
early and treated promptly have an excellent chance for cure,
learning how to examine your testes properly can help save your life.
It really doesn't take much effort to search for those small lumps,
and you only have to do it once a month. |
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The
Owners Manual