Young Men's Health
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Young Men's Health (YMH) is a website produced by the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital. The purpose of the website is to provide carefully researched health information to teenage boys and young men. It is to help teen boys improve their understanding of normal health and development, as well as of specific diseases and conditions.
Young Men's Health
7h ago
Thanks for your question. Testicular pain can cause lots of worry. Sometimes pain in your scrotum (sac that contains your testicles) can be “referred” or spread to your lower abdomen or hip area; the opposite can happen as well.
What are the causes of scrotal pain?
Many things can cause scrotal pain including:
Testicular torsion. This is a twisting of the testicle that causes severe pain and must be treated immediately!
Varicocele. This is a swelling of the veins in the scrotum. It typically causes a dull pain or heaviness.
Hydrocele. This is a collection of fluid (or liquid) around the test ..read more
Young Men's Health
1w ago
Briefly, yes. Any time you have unprotected vaginal-penile sex there’s a chance of pregnancy.
So what is sperm exactly?
Sperm is the male sex cell (or gamete). Sperm contain genetic information of people assigned male at birth (AMAB).
Sperm develop in the seminiferous tubules (small tubes of the testicles). As sperm cells develop, they move through the epididymis (coiled tube). Sperm is stored in the epididymis until ejaculation. During ejaculation they move to vas deferens (or sperm duct).
What’s semen?
Semen is fluid that contains both sperm and seminal fluid (a whitish fluid). Seminal flui ..read more
Young Men's Health
1M ago
What are opioids?
Opioids and opiates are very powerful medications that come from the opium poppy plant (opiates) or are synthetic drugs that look like molecules from the opium plant (opioids). In this section, we’ll use the term “opioids” to refer to opiates and opioids. These drugs can be taken by mouth in a pill form, inhaled/snorted, or injected.
When used as advised by a doctor, opioids can treat pain. But some people take opioids in higher amounts or more often than prescribed to deal with pain, trauma, mental health symptoms, and physical dependence on opioids. Opioids used inappropria ..read more
Young Men's Health
1M ago
What exactly is an opioid overdose?
An overdose refers to when someone “passes out” (loses consciousness) and is not breathing normally. This can happen when someone takes a high or potent dose of opioids. If not treated immediately, an opioid overdose can lead to death. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to recognize and respond to an overdose. These important steps can help save someone’s life.
Deaths due to drug overdoses have increased over the last 20 years. In 2021, over 106,000 people died of drug overdoses, including over 1,100 adolescents.
How do I know if someone is having ..read more
Young Men's Health
2M ago
Thanks for your question. As an athlete, you may be used to dealing with intermittent pain. Good for you for listening to your body and recognizing this is not normal.
Briefly, whenever you have pain that’s getting worse it’s a good idea to see a healthcare provider (even if you already saw one). While an X-ray gives a quick picture of your tailbone, it’s not perfect, and there may be more treatment options.
Read on to learn more about tailbone pain.
What causes tailbone pain?
The tailbone is called the coccyx. The medical term for tailbone pain is coccydynia. Common causes of coccydynia in te ..read more
Young Men's Health
2M ago
Thanks for your question. Good for you for researching it. Unfortunately, many legal substances can be harmful or have negative health effects on the body, such as:
Alcohol
Vaping
Cigarettes
Marijuana (depending on where you live)
What is Delta-8?
Delta-8 is a form of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the part of the marijuana plant that makes people feel high. It is typically thought of as being less potent (i.e., having less strong effects). However many Delta-8 products have a much higher concentration of THC than typical marijuana products, which leads to ..read more
Young Men's Health
3M ago
Thanks for your question. Two of the most common questions we receive are about masturbation and ejaculation. So let’s break this down.
Masturbation
Masturbation is rubbing your genitals and is totally normal. Some people masturbate regularly, some randomly, and others never do. Ultimately it is a personal decision.
What are wet dreams?
The medical term for wet dreams is nocturnal emissions. Briefly, nocturnal emissions are when you ejaculate during your sleep.
During the REM (rapid eye movement) phase of sleep, it’s natural for people to develop an erection. If you have a sexually arousing d ..read more
Young Men's Health
4M ago
Thanks for your question. Many people wonder about erections, and their sometimes unwanted timing.
So what is an erection?
An erection is the medical term for when the penis fills with blood and stretches in shape and size. Basically this is when the penis may get wider, longer, and harder. It can last a couple of minutes or much longer.
Why do people assigned male at birth get erections?
Erections happen due to brain signals and changes in blood flow to your penis. They are often triggered by sexual stimulation, that can either be physical or thoughts (such as thinking about sex). They can a ..read more
Young Men's Health
4M ago
Thanks for your question. During puberty those who are assigned male at birth typically notice increased body hair on their face, chest, armpits, stomach, and elsewhere. Some people want to remove this body hair and others like it just the way it is. Medically there’s no reason to remove the hair. So what should you know to remove hair safely?
What causes body hair in those assigned male at birth?
Basically, your body hair is affected genetics and hormones.
Genetics are what you inherit from your biological family. Genetics affect things such as the color of your eyes or hair to how much body ..read more
Young Men's Health
7M ago
Thanks for your question. There are lots of things that can make a penis hurt, including irritation. Read on to learn more about the causes of penis pain when you are uncircumcised (i.e. have foreskin).
How Far Should My Foreskin Go Back?
If you have foreskin it is important to make sure you can gently retract (or pull back) your foreskin so that you can see the glans (or head) of the penis completely. If you cannot pull back your foreskin past the glans of the penis, this is called phimosis.
What If It Hurts to Pull Back My Foreskin?
If it hurts to pull back your foreskin, first stop pulling ..read more