Pain in the penis, scrotum, or testicles

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Pain in the penis, scrotum, or testicles

Mild to severe pain may occur with even a minor injury to the genital area. The injury may have been so minor that you did not realize you were injured. This type of pain usually goes away without treatment.

It is important to determine the cause of pain that begins suddenly, occurs with other symptoms, or continues for longer than a day. There are many causes of pain in the scrotum and testicles.

• Severe, one-sided testicular pain that comes on suddenly can be caused by twisting of the testicle (testicular torsion) or the spermatic cord. Often nausea and vomiting are also present. Testicle torsion may occur after strenuous exercise or during rest. It is more common in teens and young men. This is a medical emergency, since blood flow to the testicle is cut off. Immediate surgery is needed to prevent the tissue death of the testicle.
• Infection of the epididymis is a common cause of painful swelling in the scrotum. Fever, abnormal discharge, and painful or frequent urination may also be present. Epididymitis may be caused by a sexually transmitted disease (STD), a urinary tract infection, or a prostate infection (prostatitis). Swelling (inflammation) of the epididymis may be caused by repeated minor injuries.
• Infection of a testicle (orchitis) is not common, but when it occurs, fever, nausea, and vomiting are usually present as well.
• Some growths in the scrotum may not be painful unless the growth spreads. This is the case with testicular cancer, which may at first cause a painless, hard lump inside or on the testicle. As the cancer spreads, however, it can cause inflammation and pain in the epididymis.
• Pain in the scrotum may be caused by illness elsewhere in the body. The pain of a kidney stone passing through the ureter may cause pain that is felt only in the scrotum.
• An inguinal hernia also may cause pain in the groin and scrotum.
• Pain with sexual intercourse or ejaculation may be caused by an infection, stress, an allergic reaction to a contraceptive, or sores from an STD.

Credits

Last updated:	March 29, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Philip Belitsky, MD, FRCSC - Urology
Editors:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC, Tracy Landauer