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Sex Fact: The Testicles

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Contributor: Kayla Kayla
Testicles, contrary to popular belief, is not where semen is stored. Testicles are actually like the male version of female ovaries, and they are created from the same embryological tissue that ovaries are. The testicles actually make hormones and sex cells which is a very complicated process. For one, an individual sperm cell takes about two and a half months to make, but a healthy guy will still manage to pump out several hundred million sperm every day.

So why do testicles hang lower? The sperm-making process actually can not take place at body-temperature, so the testicles hang away from the body to keep them at the perfect sperm-making temperature. That's why when it's cold, they contract to get closer to the body, and during hot days, they tend to hang lower.

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Did you know this about the testicles? What other neat facts do you know about testicles?
Answers (private voting - your screen name will NOT appear in the results):
Yes, I knew that about the testicles.
44  (75%)
No, I did not know that about the testicles.
15  (25%)
Total votes: 59
Poll is closed
09/26/2011
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Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
I love me some... Testes.

In nursing school we were taught that the proper plural for either gonad (although more the male gonad in common usage) was testes and that "testicle" was for singular only. However, common usage, even some dictionaries claim "testicles" is the proper plural. It's one of those things that some people get weird about.. like me. I'm weird. Even though "Testicles" is a proper plural, I can't bring myself to use it.

Also, as men age the connective tissue along with gravity causes the testes to hang not only even lower than when he was a young man, but for one to hang much lower than the other. The lower testicle is usually the one opposite the man's dominant hand, just like a woman's breast is usually larger on the non-dominant side. Totally normal for either.

I wonder if one of the reasons older men have lower hanging testes is also to help them remain fertile longer? The cooler the testicle, the more sperm is made, so it could actually be an evolutionary process as well as simply age and gravity.
09/26/2011
Contributor: Illumin8 Illumin8
Thanks for posting this! The first time I learned this I remember feeling like everything made a little more sense! Haha
09/26/2011
Contributor: mandiegk mandiegk
Thanks for posting these sex facts - I definitely didn't know this. I feel like this is something I would have learned in health class if I hadn't gone to a Catholic school.
09/26/2011
Contributor: Envy Envy
Very interesting, thanks for sharing!
09/26/2011
Contributor: ToyTimeTim ToyTimeTim
I always thought it was odd that they could suck up inside the body when cold, the bulge they make on each side of the penis is strange looking.
09/26/2011
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
Interesting...

I've asked them about this and they've never said a word to me about this!
09/26/2011
Contributor: ToyTimeTim ToyTimeTim
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
Interesting...

I've asked them about this and they've never said a word to me about this!
Maybe they are upset cuz you keep ramming them into Stoya and other lady like orifices.
09/26/2011
Contributor: Breas Breas
That's interesting. I did not know!
09/27/2011
Contributor: Bignuf Bignuf
Quote:
Originally posted by Kayla
Testicles, contrary to popular belief, is not where semen is stored. Testicles are actually like the male version of female ovaries, and they are created from the same embryological tissue that ovaries are. The testicles actually make hormones and ... more
A fair number of men are only born with ONE undescended testicle and even with one lost or damaged, a man can be very fertile.

Also, while woman are born with all the "eggs" they will ever have...and they become less "potent and viable" with age, sperm is constantly created, so a 90 year old man can be as fertile as a 20 year old man.

Why, when men have shorter life expectancy, this should be true, however, is beyond me.
09/27/2011
Contributor: Bignuf Bignuf
Quote:
Originally posted by ToyTimeTim
I always thought it was odd that they could suck up inside the body when cold, the bulge they make on each side of the penis is strange looking.
The testicles really do NOT go "up into the body", but the spermatic ducts can be "retracted" to an extent. It is all about keeping them the perfect temperature. We were not, however, built to account for underwear AND pants, which is why they get TOO hot and why 1. Fertility in modern man is lower then our ancestors and 2. they tend to hang very low and loose in modern men.
09/27/2011
Contributor: Bignuf Bignuf
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
I love me some... Testes.

In nursing school we were taught that the proper plural for either gonad (although more the male gonad in common usage) was testes and that "testicle" was for singular only. However, common usage, even ... more
Wow...once again, you are full of GREAT facts. THANK YOU...and hope all is well in P'Gell world.
09/27/2011
Contributor: Gunsmoke Gunsmoke
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
A fair number of men are only born with ONE undescended testicle and even with one lost or damaged, a man can be very fertile.

Also, while woman are born with all the "eggs" they will ever have...and they become less "potent and ... more
It's a myth that a 90 year old man is as fertile as a 20 year old. Both the quantity and quality of sperm in men diminishes over time. Off course how much varies widely.

I'm not sure your other points are right on either. I have certainly been cold enough that both balls were sucked in so closely to my body that they appeared to be hidden. It may be true that they were not literally sucked inside - but it certainly appears that way.

Men's underwear and tight pants have been sited as reasons for a lower sperm count in modern men, but I don't know that it has been proven. Many believe the real culprits are pollutants that have an 'estrogenic effect'. These same chemicals may be linked to the prevalence of early menses in girls.

You really lost me in the balls hanging low dept - I've never heard of such an issue and it's certainly not true in my family. If that were true, sperm production would be higher, because the rational behind the scrotum is that the testes need a lower than body temperature to produce sperm. Sounds like a contradiction to me.

We should try not to perpetuate urban myths.
09/27/2011
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
Wow...once again, you are full of GREAT facts. THANK YOU...and hope all is well in P'Gell world.
Thanks. Things are just peachy in P'Gell World.
09/27/2011
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by Gunsmoke
It's a myth that a 90 year old man is as fertile as a 20 year old. Both the quantity and quality of sperm in men diminishes over time. Off course how much varies widely.

I'm not sure your other points are right on either. I have ... more
I have no idea of modern man has lower hanging balls than ancient men or even men 100 years ago. There are probably pictures going back to at least 1840 or so.

I do think that perhaps one reason an older man's hang lower is to help preserve whatever fertility he is still capable of, although it decreases as a man ages. But, a good part of the "hang" is due to age and gravity. Yes, some 90 yr old men can technically get a younger woman pregnant, but men in their teens and 20s have the highest sperm counts.

One more thing, several things can be blamed for low or absent sperm counts. One could be an infection that effects the gonads and lymph nodes, such as The Mumps. Many men who had The Mumps in their formative years (usually after 11 or so) find they have absent or lowered sperm counts. Also, there are some links between modern disposable diapers, which have an internal temperature at least 4 degrees warmer than cloth diapers with plastic pants, and decreased sperm counts. Some believe that the constant warming during infancy and toddler hood may effect sperm counts as adult, as the mechanism may be damaged, even though toddlers do not make sperm at that age in their lives. (and as Pampers comes out with diapers for larger and older children and kids (Pull Ups, Good Nights, Big Kids etc) don't know what wet pants feel like they STAY in disposable diapers much much longer than years ago, which is just how paper/plastic diaper companies want it. These companies may be influencing the fertility of our children. Me, I used cloth diapers on my kids. )
09/27/2011
Contributor: Gunsmoke Gunsmoke
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
I have no idea of modern man has lower hanging balls than ancient men or even men 100 years ago. There are probably pictures going back to at least 1840 or so.

I do think that perhaps one reason an older man's hang lower is to help ... more
OK - so we've taken a tangent from testicles to sperm.

Technically low sperm count is called oligospermia. The Mayo Clinic gives a gazillion different causes link.

Among them are overheating from saunas, spas and tight clothes as you describe and the environmental issues I referred to including; pesticides, heavy metal exposure, radiation & x-rays - and even prolonged bicycle riding - which I have been guilty off!

Lesser know causes are drug & alcohol abuse - but I suspect many of us were conceived while our father's were using/abusing alcohol - I'm certainly one of those.

Oh - and by the way they also site age, saying that sperm counts gradually decline after age 35.
09/27/2011
Contributor: zeb zeb
Thank you for sharing
10/08/2011
Contributor: Avant-garde Avant-garde
I knew why testicles hang lower but the rest I didn't know.
10/11/2011