Is Testicle size really what's matters?

Testicle size is what counts for a clean bill of health and being able to produce children.

Most men are unaware of how important the size of their testes is in relation to their health, Professor Rob McLachlan, director of Andrology Australia, told Fairfax newspapers.

"I've seen men coming in with (testicles) the size of a sultana and they haven't realised (it's a problem) - it happens all the time," Prof McLachlan said.

Men need to be aware of their testicle size, to measure their own health.

"They don't know how big their testes should be - what's normal and what's abnormal," Prof McLachlan said.

Small testes can indicate there is a testosterone deficiency. This can make a man feel tired, lose muscle, gain fat, lose sex drive.

It could lead to osteoporosis or thinning of the bones. And it can also be a sign of infertility, with a higher risk of developing testicular cancer, Prof McLachlan says.

Genital examinations, which take about 30 seconds, are crucial for men and opens the channel for a diagnosis.

"You want to pick these conditions up in men when they are younger if you can because then you have the chance to intervene and give them 30, 40, 50 years of quality of life and protect them from issues such as thin bones," Prof McLachlan says.

To raise awareness of men's health, the male reproductive health centre Andrology Australia is producing orchidometers or different-sized beads.

They range from 1 ml to 35 ml in volume, which help doctors identify reproductive health disorders.

Testicles measured from 15 ml to 35 ml are in the normal range.

"If a man's testicles are the size of a sultana he should see his doctor," he said.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/070922/2/14hsg.html?f=mv