Men’s Health - Testicular Cancer
Our Featured Man of the Week - Melbourne based Amadu Koroma (AK Fitness). He’s a Personal Trainer, Coach for Athletes; Soccer Performance Coach + trains mainly business professionals.
November (Movember) is a month to raise awareness of key mens health issues such as testicular and prostate cancer, plus suicide/mental health.
This month on Fitness To A Tee, I've been featuring a man each week, focusing on raising awareness of each issue. See this blog where Zimbabwe based Kuda gives men tips on how to take care of their mental health.
You can also see one of the most popular posts of Zimbabwe Fitness Legend Otis Goredema showing us his top body conditioning moves for men last week: prostate cancer awareness.
Drop the awkward chat around testicular cancer
This week I continue chatting about and with men - with this blog's focus being on testicular cancer. For young men age 15-44, it's the most common cancer.
Testicular cancer is often less talked about amongst both men and women. One of the reasons is that research shows that men seek out medical help or talk about their health issues a lot less than women, which can have a huge impact on their health and longevity. There is also a societal stigma or message which has been around through the generations that men should "man up" and "toughen it up", so chatting less about worries.
On average, Australian men for example - avoid going to the doctor a lot more than women – which links to poorer health for them across their lifetime.
To start breaking this false idea that men should "tough it up", I really love the mental health awareness week which Kuda was a part of. Check out his top tips on how men can be mentally strong but with some vulnerability so as to start opening up about issues.
Our Featured Man of the Week: Amadu Koroma. Click here to see a video where he gives men his top HIIT moves.
Below I give you a rundown on:
what testicular cancer is
signs/symptoms
how men can do a check on their testicles for any changes.
As a woman, I speak for all ladies - we care about our dads, brothers, spouses/partners, friends etc. Mens health is not just "their issue" - it affects us all. So ladies, you can pass these tips on to the men around you.
What is testicular cancer?
Testicular cancer happens in the testicles, which make male hormones and sperm. The testicles are found inside a loose bag of skin (scrotum) underneath the penis.
Causes of testicular cancer
An exact cause is not known, but medical science states that this type of cancer happens when healthy cell growth in the testicles changes. So cell growth can become abnormal by cells continuing to divide and grow even when not needed, until a lump forms in the testicles.
Family history of testicular cancer; infertility in the man and age (younger men aged 15-44) are also risk factors for this type of cancer.
What are common signs/symptoms?
At times men have no symptoms, but common ones are:
a lump or enlargement in either testicle
enlargement or tenderness in the breasts
feeling a heaviness in the scrotum where the testicles are
unexplained weight loss
pain in the lower back
sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum.
How to do self checks
Men should ensure they know how to check for changes and go to their Dr as soon as they notice anything. Testicular cancer is highly treatable and curable, so the earlier it's caught - the better.
Click here for how to check for any changes in your testicles by doing a self-exam. It's important to do a regular full health check up e.g. once a year and do a self-exam of the testicles approximately every 4 weeks.
High Intensity Interval Training tip
For those diagnosed with testicular cancer, it's highly treatable and curable. Because testicular cancer often increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, those diagnosed are encouraged to do HIIT to help improve heart health. Even if you're not diagnosed with it, HIIT is still a great way of training for overall physical and mental health for men.
Click here to watch this popular video of our Man of the Week Amadu Koroma of AK Fitness, Melbourne (shown in the images throughout this post) show us his top HIIT moves, plus how to structure them in your workout.
To learn more about the Elizabeth Chanakira Cancer Trust, Zimbabwe which I founded after my mum Elizabeth died from breast cancer - click here now.