All About The Penis

Q: I have developed a tender area on my testicle. My penis feels fine, I can ejaculate normally, and I can pee as well as ever, but there's definitely a tender area that is sore to the touch. What is it, and should I see a doctor?

A: First things first. Whenever you have an unexplained pain in your penis and/or testicles, you should see a doctor. The chances of something like this being serious are very slim, but no matter how remote, it's worth ruling out problems like testicular cancer, inguinal hernia (when a loop of gut breaks out of its protective coating and falls downwards into the scrotum), or epididymitis (inflammation of, surprisingly enough, the epididymis).

Links to articles on these subjects:

Testicular cancer
Inguinal hernia
Epididymitis (complex medical article) (simpler article)

If you want some information on the anatomy and welfare of the testicles, there's a page on this very site which has all the information and links you might need. 

Familydoctor.org has a website with a flow chart which you can follow to see if you have a particular penile or testicular problem. It's a bit alarmist, in that every option seems to lead to a serious medical condition or a "see your doctor" warning, but it is useful in showing you what might be wrong with your penis and testicles.

There are other things that can go wrong with the testicles, including varicocele and hydrocele. Who was it said that it was mostly women who had problems "down there"?!