The testicles have two primary responsibilities: to produce sperm and testosterone.
Sperm production is at its best when the testicles are several degrees cooler than your body temperature. That's why they hang outside the body in the scrotum (the pouch of skin that contains the testicles and a network of blood vessels and nerves).
But what if your testicles are too cold?
Read on to learn how cold is too cold, how the testicles and scrotum react to changing temperatures, and how best to warm them up.
Your testicles (testes) are oval-shaped organs made up primarily of coiled tubes called seminiferous tubules. Sperm production takes place within those tubes.
Ideally, sperm production occurs at around 37ºF (3ºC) below normal body temperature.
But your testicles can get too cold for good sperm production, too. Cold temperatures cause the scrotum and testicles to retreat up toward the body.
A hot shower or high temperatures that cause your body temperature to increase will in turn cause your testicles to hang lower.
However, when the temperature gets too hot, the quality of sperm can be harmed. In particular, sperm count and sperm motility (the ability of sperm to swim and reach an egg to fertilize) can decline.
If hot temperatures reduce sperm count, then it makes sense that cooling your testicles will have the opposite effect, right?
Increasing sperm count by using ice packs or more sophisticated cooling equipment around the testicles has been tried by plenty of guys through the years.
Medical researchers have also investigated this approach to help infertile couples. Small studies from 1984, 2001, 2013, and many other years have suggested that testicular cooling may in fact be helpful for some men. However, there have been no major clinical trials to support this chilly, alternative therapy.
Read this article for 10 healthy ways to boost male fertility and sperm count.
Because the testicles hang outside the body, they're more vulnerable to injury than your internal organs. Like any other part of the body exposed to the elements, the testicles are susceptible to frostbite or hypothermia if the temperatures drop too low.
As the air temperature falls to 5ºF (–15ºC) or colder, the risk of hypothermia to exposed skin increases significantly.
Even covered areas of the body are at risk. And because the body 'knows' that the function of the heart and other internal organs is more important to survival than the fingers and toes, hypothermia tends to move from the extremities toward the trunk.
That means if your thighs are starting to experience frostbite, your balls may be next.
Symptoms of frostbite include:
Though there's little medical research on what happens to human testicles and sperm production at dangerously low temperatures, farmers and veterinarians have reported that bulls with testicular frostbite experience reduced sperm count and poor testicular function.
Warming up cold testicles can be done safely and easily. Here are some tips:
To prevent cold testicles, consider these tips:
If you have cold and sweaty balls, you may have a medical condition causing those symptoms, or it may be time for a lifestyle change. Common causes include:
Your testicles like the temperature a little cooler than your normal body temperature. But be careful about trying to cool your testicles too much.
Avoiding tight underwear and pants, as well as long soaks in a hot tub, can help you lower the risk of a low sperm count caused by overheating.
If you have questions about your testicular health and fertility, talk with a urologist, a doctor who specializes in this area of the body.