Testicular function and 8 other facts you need to know & bull; hello healthy

One part of the male reproductive organs that you should not rule out is the testes. The function of the testes as part of the reproductive system is no less important than the penis. Therefore, it is important for you to know the parts, normal conditions, to the various disease risks that can be experienced in the testicles.

What are testicles?

The testes are oval-shaped male reproductive organs located in pouches on the right and left of the back of the penis. Most laymen refer to the testicles as testicles or pubic seeds.

The testes grow in the early stages of puberty, which is around the age of 10-13 years. When the testicles begin to grow, the skin around the scrotum (the bag that houses the testicles) darkens, hangs down, and grows hair.

The size of the testicles of each man is different, but the average testicle has a length of between 5-7.5 cm and a width of 2.5 cm.

What do the testicular anatomy pictures look like?

The testes are located in the scrotum and have a fairly complex structure. The anatomy of the testes can be seen from the several constituent structures and how they work.

Each testicle is covered by a tough, fibrous layer of tissue called the tunica. The outermost layer is called tunica vaginalis and the innermost layer is called tunica albuginea.

The testes is also divided into several sections called lobules, where in each lobule there are about 800 seminiferous tubules which are small, winding tubes. The function of the seminiferous tubules in the testes is to produce sperm and hormones.

The seminiferous tubules are then connected to a network called the rete testis. The ready-made sperm will then be channeled and stored in the epididymis until maturity.

Finally, the epididymis empties into the vas deferens, which will drain mature sperm during ejaculation.

Get to know the functions and facts about the testicles

In general, there are two main functions of the testes, namely to produce and store sperm and produce male hormones.

1. Producing and storing sperm

Sperm has an important role in the pregnancy process. For every male ejaculate, there are about 200 million sperm cells that come out and will fertilize an egg.

Dr. Philip Werthman, urologist and director Male Reproductive Medicine and Reversal Vasectomy in Los Angeles, United States, states that on average a healthy testicle produces 200 thousand sperm cells every minute.

To maintain sperm production, it is important to avoid bad habits that cause low sperm count. These bad habits include smoking, drinking alcohol, lack of sleep, and obesity.

2. Producing male hormones

Apart from producing and storing sperm, another testicular function is to produce male hormones known as androgens.

Androgens are responsible for regulating the growth of the reproductive system in men, the development of male body features, such as beards and deep voices, and affecting sexual function.

The most common form of the androgen hormone is testosterone. Testosterone is a male hormone that is responsible for all changes in the body during puberty. This hormone also plays an important role in sperm production.

Apart from these two important functions, the testes also have various interesting facts that you need to know, including:

It is normal to have different sizes of the right and left testicles. One of the testicles may be larger or hang lower.
The testicles will increase in size up to 50 percent larger right before ejaculation, this is due to increased blood flow.
The testes have the most diverse proteins of every organ, where 77% of all types of protein in the human body are owned by the testes. There are about 999 types of protein in the testes, which is more than in the brain which is only 318 types of protein.
The testes are capable of producing about 200 million sperm every day.
The testes are protected by cremaster muscles, which are muscles that can protect the testicles from harm by moving them close to the human body.
When cold, the body will give a message to the scrotum to keep heat, causing the testicles to shrink and appear smaller. This is because the testes need the right temperature in order to produce sperm.
When the body temperature is too warm, the testicles will appear to drop further downward to release excess heat.
Men with one testicle due to abnormalities (eg undesensus testis) or removal due to cancer, can still fertilize an egg, get a woman pregnant, and have children.

Various risks of disease that can be experienced by the testicles

Generally, men will worry if there are signs and symptoms of testicular disorders.

The testes are very important especially considering their function to produce sperm. Poor sperm quality and even the inability to produce sperm can result in infertility or infertility, which means you may have difficulty having children.

One of the symptoms of testicular disease is pain and swelling. Quoted from WebMD, this condition can be caused by several things, such as:

Testicular injury, such as a kick, hit, or hit from an accident or playing sports.
Hydrocele, which is the condition of the accumulation of fluid in the area surrounding the testicles.
Viral infections or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as chlamydia.
Inguinal hernia, which is a condition in which part of the intestine pushes into the groin or into the scrotum through abnormal openings or weak points in the abdominal wall.
Varicocele, which is a condition of swelling in the blood vessels that drain blood out of the testicles.
Testicular cancer, which is a type of cancer that develops around the testicular tissue.
Testicular torsion, which is a very painful condition that occurs when the testicle is twisted.

Normal testicular condition and early detection of testicular abnormalities

Quoted from National Health ServiceMost men will have approximately the same size of the left and right testicles. Some will feel bigger or hang lower, but this is normal.

Normal testicular condition will feel smooth without the appearance of lumps. In addition, the testicles will have definite characteristics, but not too hard.

You are strongly advised to check the condition of the testicles once a month and check for lumps in the testicles. When examining the testicles, grasp the testicles with your hand and gently rub them between the thumb and forefinger.

Your testicles should feel oval and smooth. A small lump in the testicle that does not cause pain is generally caused by the epididymis (sperm tube) and is considered normal.

However, if you notice a lump that is hard and different than usual, then you should immediately get it checked out by a doctor.