Being struck by a reproductive system disease is the fear of many, men or women. However, it is often thought that these problems cannot affect the youngest, but the number of under 40s who are affected by testicular cancer is growing.
Undergoing regular checkups is essential to avoid discovering that you are sick when it may be too late. For a woman, however, it is almost natural, except for a few cases, to go to the gynecologist regularly, in order to keep the menstrual cycle under control and check for any problems in the uterus and ovaries.
Many men, on the other hand, are more reluctant and feel almost ashamed to go to the andrologist. Indeed, many do it only in the presence of specific symptoms. Do not underestimate the signals that can come from our body, however, is essential for both.
Testicular cancer: the terror for many men
It is often thought that a tumor can especially affect those who are no longer very young or have someone in the family who has had the same problem, but that’s not always the case. This is also true for the testicle, which has been diagnosed in an increasing number of people ranging from 20 to 40 years.
Unlike women, few men do prevention, but fortunately, medicine has made important progress in this area too.
As many as 93% of patients appear to be disease-free five years after diagnosis and can be considered cured. Numbers that confirm that the treatments to which one is subjected are now more and more effective, in addition to giving fewer side effects.
Not only that, now it is also possible to preserve one’s fertility even in cases where the organ has been removed and chemotherapy or radiotherapy has been done.
Symptoms not to be underestimated
Paying attention to any disturbances that may occur is essential in order to be able to intervene, if necessary, as soon as possible.
There are several signs that should never be underestimated, especially for those under the age of 40. This is the case of volume loss, swelling of the testicle, dull pain in the lower abdomen or groin, blood in the urine, heaviness or fluid formation in the scrotum, or pain in the organ.
The first step that every man should take as a form of prevention is self-examination, exactly like women do with their breasts. This allows you to detect any anomalies by touch and ask for advice from an expert.
An annual andrological visit would also be recommendedeven more so in cases of cryptorchidism, or the failure of a testicle to descend into the scrotal sac, or in the case of testicular atrophy, previous testicular or family cancer.