Question:
Hello Mr. Hamilton,
I am 16 years old, and I occasionally get pains in my right testicle after sleeping. This pain feels as if I am constantly being punched in my testicle, and it only occurs in my right testicle. When this happens, (about 3 times a year or so) my epididymis on my right testicle becomes enlarged. I’ve looked it up but I’ve never gotten a complete answer. I’ve thought about going to the doctor, but the pain only lasts for a day or even a few hours, and I feel like as soon as I get to the doctor, the pain will stop. I had a checkup done earlier this year, and the nurse practitioner checked my testicles and said I was completely fine. I don’t masturbate, and I wonder if it’s sperm buildup hurting me or something. I really don’t know.
Do you have any answers?
Answer:
Pain and a swollen epididymis would normally indicate an infection, but such would not go away quickly on its own. There is a possibility that you are mistaking a varicocele for your epididymis. If you have a valve in your vein that is sometimes failing, this could cause a back-up of blood. I could see this happening due to sleeping in a certain position for too long. It is also possible that you are getting a slight bit of torsion on the testicle at night that then resolves itself when you get up and start moving around. Please remember that these are just guesses.
It would not be due to back up of sperm since the sperm are not moved by fluid pressure. Besides, your wet dreams would be moving sperm along when you ejaculate.
Since it is going away, there isn’t much that can be done. If your scrotum gets red, warmer than normal to the touch, you feel nauseated, or the pain increases, then get over to a doctor.
Response:
Ok. Thank you!