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Testes:
The male glands known as the testes are also sometimes called the testicles, Latin for
"little testes." The singular for testes is testis. The testes are the male reproductive
glands, or gonads (GOH-nads), corresponding to the ovaries in women.
Size and location The testes are somewhat smaller than chicken eggs and roughly egg
shaped. They are normally found in a pouch of skin beneath the base of the penis called
the scrotum.
Role The testes have two important products: the male hormone testosterone and sperm.
Testosterone is an endocrine hormone released into the bloodstream. Sperm are produced
in the testes and stored in a sac in the body.
Conditions that affect the testes Sometimes, most often by deliberate mutilation, a
person is deprived of both testes; this is called castration. If a boy is castrated
before puberty, he does not go through the changes of puberty.
Sometimes the testes remain inside a baby's body instead of moving into the scrotum.
One undescended testis may not be much of a problem, although it can be corrected
surgically and often is. Two undescended testes produce sterility, apparently because
the temperature of the interior of the body is too high for sperm production.
The place in the abdominal wall where the tube carrying sperm, called the vas deferens,
passes into the body is often weak, and a hernia is a common result. Sometimes the
hernia allows part of the intestines to descend into the scrotum.
Cancer of the testes is rare but can be detected in its early stages by self-examination
for a lump. Any lump in a testis may be harmful and should be examined by a physician.
The treatment is surgical removal of the testis. If done early complications such as
spread to the lungs can be avoided and recovery is complete. The other testis produces
enough testosterone and sperm for normal function. Swelling of the entire testis is
usually not harmful and often goes away by itself.
Some sexually transmitted diseases may invade the testes. In addition, the scrotum may
become involved in the fungal infection known as jock itch.
Sometimes lack of the hormone testosterone can produce or contribute to impotence.
Production of the hormone tends to decline in older men, often resulting in muscle
weakness as well.
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