What Happens If Testes Are Damaged?

The testes or testicles are an important part of the male reproductive system. Testicles play an important role in reproduction. Testicles make sperms and also a male sex hormone known as testosterone. Testosterone gives males their masculine appearance and is responsible for growth and development of male sexual characters.

When testes get damaged it is termed as testicular injury or testicular trauma. This can happen when testes get hurt by any force. If the testes are damaged, it may lead to certain conditions, some of which can be serious. The effects of testicular damage can be seen differently at different ages. Due to the damage, the testes may stop producing the hormone testosterone.

• If testes are affected in the fetal stage, the baby may be born with under-developed male genitals or may have characteristics of both sexes.
• If this happens in young age or at the time of puberty, it may lead to improper growth of the person and under-development of his male characteristics.
• If this happens in adulthood, the person may feel a loss of sex drive, feel generally unwell or even suffer from infertility. There may be a loss of muscle mass. In the long run, testicles damage may lead to osteoporosis.

Testes can get damaged in several ways. The kind of the injury and also the severity of symptoms will decide the course of treatment.

The testes are more prone to injury as they hang out of the abdomen and do not have any protective covering to take any kinds of blow. Hence, trauma happening to the testes can be quite serious sometimes. The testes are in the scrotum and there are some other anatomical structures in the scrotum along with the testes. Here are different types of testicular injuries-

Testicular Rupture- in this type, the protective covering around the testicles is torn and there is damage to the testicles.

Testicular Torsion- in this type, when the spermatic cord, which contains blood vessels connecting the abdomen to the testicles, becomes twisted due to any trauma or even spontaneously.

Testicular rupture and torsion are two serious complications that may result due to testicular injury.

Degloving- in this type, the scrotum gets torn away from the testicles, as if a glove is removed from the hand.

Testicular Fracture- in this type the testicular tissue breaks but the protective covering of the testicles may or may not get torn.

Hematoceles – in this type, blood collects under the protective covering around the testicles.

Dislocation- due to the injury, the testicles are pushed out of the scrotum, may be into the abdominal cavity or in areas near the scrotum.

• Injury to the testes may lead to several symptoms.
• There might be nausea and even vomiting in some cases.
• One may experience bruising or swelling in the scrotum.
• There may also be a presence of blood in the urine.
• There might be severe pain or difficulty while urinating.
• Fever can be seen at times.

The testes can get damaged due to a number of reasons. Here are a few-

• Testes may get damaged in the fetal stage even before the baby is born.
• Testes may get damaged due to an injury or a blow.
• This may also happen due to an infection, like mumps infection if along with the salivary glands the testes also get affected.
• This may also happen as a side effect of a cancer treatment, like chemotherapy or radio therapy.

Testes are an important part of the male reproductive system. Testes produce sperm and a male sex hormone called testosterone. testosterone is responsible for growth and development of male sexual characters. Any injury or blow to the testes can result in the damage to testes, which may cause some implications, some of which may be serious.

Also Read:

• Testicular Torsion or Twisted Testicles: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention
• Testicular Lump: What Can Cause A Lump On Testicles And How Is It Treated?
• 6 Causes of Itchy Balls or Testicular Itch|Home Remedies to Get Rid of Itchy Testicles