Regular checks of your genital area allow you to identify and get help for any problems quickly, when they are easiest to treat and mean you can take extra care to avoid infecting your sexual partners.
- Take a small mirror, find a private place and get naked.
- Examine your genital and anal areas using the mirror and your hands.
- Lift and look under your testicles.
- If you are uncircumcised, pull back the foreskin and look carefully at the exposed skin
- Look at the area between your anus and your testicles
- Check your pubic hair closely for small eggs, lumps or mites (e.g. crabs)
- Gently squeeze your penis to see if any unusual, smelly or creamy comes out. It is common to find some fluid when doing this, but it doesn’t mean you have an STI.
- Do you see any sores, blisters, or rashes; feel any itching, redness or swelling; detect any unusual smells or discharge on or around your penis, anus or testicles?
If you detect signs of STIs or anything else that seems unusual, go to an STI clinic for a complete check!
Click here to find out where you can get tested in confidence and read some feedback from men who have used the services.