Good Health = Good Life
Time to get serious for a few moments. Now serious is not something I do very often, but with a subject as important as this, I’m happy to get straight to the hugely important point – Do you regularly check yourself over, and care well enough for your general health and sexual health? Are your breasts or testicles loved, and looked after?
Many of you will be shaking your head, perhaps slightly embarrassed to admit that it’s not something you’ve ever bothered with. Others may be saying yes, but only when you remember to do it, so it’s by no means a regular thing.
I suspect very few of you will be able to proudly hold your hand up high, and excitedly proclaim that you do it, religiously, as if your life depended on it … News Flash! Your life very well could depend on it!
Time to make some changes and form some healthy habits, that will give you, and your sexy body parts the best chance of happiness together.
Of course, I don’t want to scare you. I also totally understand that a bit of a statistical shock could be the boot up the backside that some of you need to start paying attention to your body.
Sometimes we ignore things we don’t want to deal with, thinking somehow of burying our heads in the sand, the ‘thing’, whatever it is, will go away. It won’t. Time to grab life by the balls, and yourself if you’re a man, and take control!
Let’s Talk Testes!
- USA – 2016: There will be a predicted 8720 new cases of testicular cancer diagnosed
- Of those men, 380 will die as a result of the cancer
- Testicular cancer is not considered common
- 1 out of every 263 men will develop it in their lifetime
- It’s generally a younger man’s disease, with the average age of diagnosis being 33
- 7% of all cases will be in children, and 7% will be in the over 65’s
Source: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/testicularcancer/detailedguide/testicular-cancer-key-statistics
It’s so important to know your own body well, so you can spot anything unusual quickly. The importance of getting speedy medical advice, when you find an abnormality is huge.
Most lumps and bumps in the balls turn out to be nothing, but if it is something sinister, catching it quickly will lead to it being totally treatable in many cases. The good news for you guys out there is that self-checking your testicles are a quick, simple and pain-free job, so you’ve really got no excuse not to do it!
How To Check Your Testicles
You should make sure you check them at least once a month. If you’re likely to forget, though, getting into a more frequent habit to remind you, is certainly not a bad thing. In the shower, or immediately after one, is the best time and place to do it, because your body is warm and relaxed, and your scrotum will be too, which will make things easier.
Support a testicle with the palm of your hand, and with the other, GENTLY but firmly roll it between your thumb and fingers, being sure to check over the whole area. Repeat with the other testicle. They should feel smooth and fairly firm, be sensitive, but not painful.
No lumps, bumps or swellings and it’s totally normal for one to be bigger than the other! Once you’ve checked them over, move to looking at the epididymis, which is the coiled tube that carries the sperm to the vas deferens. It can be found on the top, and the back sides of each testicle, and can sometimes be mistaken for a lump.
A quick feel over to make sure it isn’t swollen is all it needs. A little peek in the mirror has been always useful to check for any visual changes. It’s a good excuse to check yourselves out anyway, isn’t it lads! That’s it, you’re done! Easy, eh?
It’s All About The Boobs!
- USA-2016: There will be a predicted 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer
- A predicted 61,000 cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS), which is noninvasive, and the earliest form of breast cancer
- 40,450 predicted deaths from breast cancer in 2016
- It’s cancer with the second-largest death count in women, first being lung cancer
- Women in the states have a 3% chance that breast cancer will cause their death
- Death numbers are decreasing, with 2.8 million survivors in the USA alone.
Source: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-key-statistics
There’s no denying it, those stats are very scary, but the good news is, early discovery has a huge impact on the treatment and its success. Checking your breasts regularly needs to become part of your routine, it could save your life!
Monthly checks are what’s needed, but it’s important to note that your breasts change throughout the month, so it’s a good idea to make sure that you check them at the same time in your menstrual cycle.
How To Check Your Breasts
There’s really no right or wrong way to go about self-checking. Any kind of check is better than no check at all, but if you follow a structure like this one, every month, you’ll be giving yourself the best chance of spotting something abnormal straight away.
It takes a bit longer than a testicle check on the boys does, but it’s worth it! A three-staged approach works best to cover all bases, and it starts in the shower when you’re nicely warmed and relaxed. Soapy hands work well, because it gives a nice slip, and allows your hands to glide freely over your breasts.
Starting with your arms by your sides, check each breast with the opposing hand. Work with fingers together, using the flat parts, to gently but firmly work your way around each breast.
An up-down movement, like when you mow the grass, ensures you don’t miss any areas, as does working in a circle, from the outside in, towards the nipple. Once you’ve done this on each side with your arms down, repeat with your arms raised, one by one.
Once out of the shower, doing another check whilst you’re lying down on the bed is a really good idea. When you’re lying flat, the breast tissue spreads out more evenly, and you can feel things in a different and more thorough way.
Raising your right shoulder with a pillow slightly, and lifting that arm up over your head, check with the flats of your fingers on the left hand. Repeat on the other side.
As with the standing check in the shower, you’re looking for any lumps or bumps, or hardening of the breast tissue, along with any pain. Be sure to check right up into the armpit area.
The next check is a mirror check. I know a lot of ladies dislike lingering naked in front of a mirror, but checking for visual changes is incredibly important. Understanding how you look in front of a mirror will allow you to spot any abnormalities quickly.
You’re looking for any changes in size or shape, puckering or dimpling of the skin, unexplained rashes, or nipple discharge. Looking with your arms by your sides is good, but also with your hands pressed into your hips, as this tightens the muscles across the chest. Oh, and as with the boys, having one that’s bigger than the other is totally normal!
There’s No Shame
Some people will undoubtedly feel embarrassed to talk about self-checking with their partner. It’s honestly a very natural thing to be doing, and incredibly important.
So strike up that conversation today, because you want to be sure that they’re checking themselves too! Lots of lumps are found by partners during sex sessions, and although it’s not necessarily top of your ‘sexy to-do list’, asking a partner to help with your check can be helpful, and also fun.
It’s a great excuse to take a shower and get soapy together! The way I see it if two of you are involved and know how everything looks and feels, you’re in an even better position to know if anything changes!
If you do end up finding something which concerns you, don’t hesitate in getting it looked at by a doctor. I know getting your bits out in public is not a pleasant thought, but honestly, they’ve seen it all before!
Most lumps, both in men and women, turn out to be nothing … a fatty deposit, a cyst, or one of many other common things. But you don’t know until you’ve got it checked, and you’ll be worried about it anyway, so go and get seen!
Sex and health go hand in hand, so look after yourself, mentally and physically, and enjoy all the pleasures and benefits that a healthy sex life brings!
WRITTEN BY
Carnal Queen
Carnal Queen is a sex-positive blogger with a real passion for all things sex.
She has been reviewing adult products for a number of years under a couple of pseudonyms and has developed a real love for sharing her opinions and helping others to make informed sex toy purchases.
In 2014 carnalqueen.com was formed as a center point for all of her musings, and the popularity and support for her work continues to grow. She lives in the UK with her Fiancé and their menagerie of animals and enjoys chatting on social media and all things crafty.
Website: http://www.carnalqueen.com/
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