Q&As Tagged Questions

Response from Men's Sexual Health:

Hello and thanks for getting in touch with MSH. What you are discribing is a situation called Retractile Testicles. When a man becomes sexually aroused, a number of different muscles involuntarily contract which regulates everything from blood supply, to positioning of the genitals. One such muscle is called the Cremaster muscle, which lifts the testicles up. This usually happens when a male is extremely aroused. And it will naturally descend when no longer aroused. The problem occurs when/if it doesn't return to its testicle sack, if this was to ever occur you should visit your GP or A/E to get it manipulated out, but this is extremely rare to occur, but just worth noting. So yes please don't worry, this happens to lots of men, but not all. We hope this has put you mind at ease, please do get back in touch if you have any further concerns.

Answered by team member Matt
9th April 2013

Response from Men's Sexual Health:

Hello any thanks for posting your question. Let me assure you, masturbation is perfectly normal and will not affect the size of your penis. The avarage size of the male penis when erect is between 5-6 inches, so you are not small, this is perfectly normal and big enough to perform sexually. No two penis or balls are the same, some are big, some are small, just like your balls, everyone is different and this should be embraced, not something to be worried or embarrassed about. There are many website that claim to sell pills or tools that will make a penis bigger, please do not be fooled by such claims, there is no way other than risky surgery to do this. If you feel this is affecting your life a lot, maybe you should look into getting counseling, many men suffer from self-esteem issue around the size of their penis and ability to perform in the bedroom, if you live in Swindon we can help arrange free counselling for you. Please do get back in touch if you would like this, or if we can offer any further support.

Answered by team member Matt
15th December 2012

Response from Men's Sexual Health:

Unfortunately from the descriptions that you have given, it is not possible for us to determine what is happening, as this would take a more detailed examination, which we are unable to do.





We would strongly suggest that you either visit your own Doctor or your local GUM Clinic, where they will be able to undertake the necessary examinations to identify what is happening.





It is not uncommon for people to become highly concerned when they have problems in or around there genitalia, but please be assured that all Doctors and Clinic staff will treat you with respect and this will be confidential.





You have already taken the first steps by being tested for both Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea,which you say have come back as negative, so you need to now take the next step.

Answered by team member Tim
22nd March 2010

Response from Men's Sexual Health:

I don't think there is a disadvantage or risk, so long as you are not exerting too much pressure on them. A lot of men enjoy playing with there balls either during masterbation or during sex, while some find them too sensitive to have them touched. If you find it enjoyable and its not causing you any pain during or after then I don't think you need to worry. However, if you notice any lumps or get any aches or pains then please go to your local GP to seek medical help.

Answered by team member Matt
22nd December 2010

Response from Men's Sexual Health:

Thanks for getting in contact with us. Regarding having one testicle, is this because the other one hasn't dropped or you were born with only one? If it has yet to appear and you were expecting it to, we would deffinatly suggest you see your GP/Doctor to get this looked at. However please don't worry if you do only end up with one as many men go through life with only one testicle and they function perfectly normal, and have a normal sex life and can go on to have children.

Regarding you concern of your penis, what you think as small may not be small. Many men would like to increase the size of their penis as penis size is one of the biggest male concerns, nearly all men worry at some stage in their life about the size of their penis. A lot of it can be due to watching porn and seeing how big other men are, but men in porn tend to always be very well hung and that is why they use them in porn. Some men are so unsatisfied it can cause them great distress and make them seek out ways to increase their size. Please ignore any adverts you find on the internet, in magazines or emails claiming to make your penis bigger via any form of pills, you could be putting yourself in more harm and these pills do not work. The only way to change the size of your penis is through surgery and this is extremely risky and could result in you unable to get an erection. The male penis comes in all shapes and sizes, all over the world there are different sizes, for example in India the average size is 4 inches, the UK is 5.5 and the congo in Africa is 7. We are all built differently and never let someone make you feel inadequate with what you have, people fall in love with the person not the penis. There are many different positions you can try with a partner so that you are both sexually satisfied, experiment and see what works best for you. You may benefit from some form of sexual counselling if it is affecting your life a lot, and if you live in Swindon please get in touch as we offer a free counselling service.

Answered by team member Matt
15th February 2013

Response from Men's Sexual Health:

Sorry to hear that this is putting you off sex. Actually you describe quite a common problem and most of the time there is no medical cause to treat. Various possible causes include engorgement of the blood supply to your balls because you have been hard for a long time before orgasm: change in position of your testicles (from the one they rest in when you are clothed) when you are being sexually active: "flopping about" by the testicles during sex or masturbation: minor trauma to your ball bag because of the position you are in during sex: and having infrequent orgasms. Try experimenting with different positions: if you like prolonged sex, take a short break in the middle: during masturbation you could gently cup your testicle with the other hand: and if you don’t cum very often, try more frequent activity and see if this breaks through the "after sex ache".

More serious causes are less common: epididymitis and pressure from a testicular swelling are both things that need a medical check. So for example if you find any kind of lump, or a tender painful part of your testicle you should see a doctor.

It is small consolation but there are other problems that some guys get after sex such as a severe headache, muscle pains or severe guilt or depression. These are all part of life’s rich tapestry and although distressing they often settle with help and support.

Answered by team member Dr Peter
8th December 2015

Response from Men's Sexual Health:

Thank you for contacting Mens Sexual Health. Sorry to hear you are in so much discomfort, I think the only thing we can really suggest is that you go and see you Doctor as soon as possible, you may have caught an infection during your circumcision or it may be unrelated but most likely it is post surgery issue and needs to be looked at immediately.

Answered by team member Matt
16th May 2013

Response from Men's Sexual Health:

So glad you asked! You are not alone and you don’t need to feel embarrassed. The problem has been going on for 20 years so it is pretty unlikely that you have a serious underlying cause (which is rare in any case).

It is hard to prove what causes this condition but the theory is that if you don’t ejaculate very often your balls and the surrounding tissues in the perineum slowly get engorged with venous blood. This is relatively stagnant and contains waste products from your body’s metabolism. Then, when you get hard and have an orgasm, there is a considerable increase in local blood flow and the more stagnant blood is washed away – with the result that the pH and electrolyte balance may change and cause pain, a bit like muscle cramps.

This is only theory but it is believable. You might like to test it by having more frequent ejaculations – which should improve drainage and reduce the build-up of metabolic waste. How often? Up to you ... I would start by once a day to try it out.

Answered by team member Dr Peter
8th December 2015