Can one become infertile due to testicular inflammation?

An inflammation of the testicles can also lead to the affected person becoming infertile (sterility). In most acute cases of testicular inflammation, only one testicle is affected, and in most cases this testicle is not infertile after the inflammation. If the affected testicle becomes infertile, the person has a second testicle that can replace the function of the other one. On the other hand, chronic or recurrent inflammation of the testicles can certainly cause infertility, since in the long run the tissue can be damaged.

Can you get testicular inflammation from cold?

Cold is not a typical trigger of testicular inflammation. However, cold can generally cause a urinary tract infection in the affected person. If the pathogens spread from the urethra to the testicles, an inflammation of the testicles is also possible. However, such an inflammation of the testis rarely occurs.

Testicular inflammation as a complication of inguinal hernia surgery

If an inflammation of the testes occurs as a complication of an inguinal hernia operation, a slightly different germ spectrum than in the “classical” inflammation of the testes must be considered. In the case of an inguinal hernia, bacteria from the abdominal cavity can spread on the skin. From there the infection can spread to the testicles. Here too, antibiotic therapy is recommended. One should also check regularly whether the surrounding soft tissue is also infected.

Testicular cancer

An important differential diagnosis besides testicular inflammation is testicular cancer, or testicular carcinoma. While in the case of testicular inflammation the swelling usually increases sharply within a few days and becomes painfully noticeable, this process takes several months to years in the case of testicular cancer. In testicular cancer, the swelling usually appears as small, nodular changes in the scrotum.

Unlike other types of cancer, testicular cancer reaches its peak between the ages of 20 and 45. Young men are particularly affected, the incidence is 1 in 10,000. Testicular cancer is very well treatable in its early stages with a chance of cure of over 90%. Interestingly, the nodular changes in the testicles are usually not noticed by the affected men themselves, but very often by their partners. Therapeutically, the diagnosis is followed by chemotherapy or radiation.