You might:

• Have sensitive nipples for a short time
• Get spots
• Feel moody or angry
• Have sore joints
• Have increased body odour

Keeping safe is about taking care of yourself.  First it’s about being clean – you need to wash under your foreskin every day.  If you choose not to, a creamy whitish substance (called smegma) will build up and it will smell. 
If it’s difficult to clean because your foreskin is tight, you can talk to someone about this at Choices or
visit your GP.

Secondly it’s about keeping yourself safe from testicular cancer.  Examining your balls regularly (once a month) means that you get to know what’s normal for you, which of your testicles hangs lower, how heavy they are…more information can be found out by following the link to a website that deals with issues of male health.

So how do you check yourself out & why?

The best way to check yourself out is when you are warm, after a bath or shower is a particularly good idea.  Stand in front of a mirror and gently roll each testicle in both hands between your thumb and fingers.  You’re looking out for any changes from last time, any lumps, bumps or swellings.  The very important reason for doing this is because, unlike most other cancers, testicular cancer affects younger men, mostly men aged between 15 & 40 .  While that sounds scary it’s important to know that in 90% of cases where it was detected early enough, testicular cancer is curable.  So, if you spot or feel anything unusual…Get it checked out!

Sex & Safety

Keeping safe is also about protecting you and your partner from sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.  It’s about being responsible in a relationship, so…always use a condom. 

There are NO excuses, so here are few tips:

• Condoms are free from Choices’ services
• Make sure it has a British Kitemark or CE Mark and it’s not out of date before you use it
• There’s no harm in practising using them at home – the more confident you feel about using them the safer you are likely to be
• There are instructions with every condom
• Be careful when you take it out of the wrapper – don’t use your teeth!
• Dispose of it thoughtfully – wrap it up and put it in the bin, not down the toilet
• Remember that you are worth protecting and so is your partner!
  
  

Further Links

Further information can also be found on external websites such as the Brook Advisory Centres' website,
the Facts of Life Organisation's website, the Male Health website or the Teenage Health Freak website

Please note that by following these links you will be taken to an external
website over which Choices has no control.

You will: