A 'penis exam' is more involved than you might think. Doctors know it as a genitourinary (GU) and rectal exam, which involves your:
Let's go over what's involved, why you should get it done regularly, what you should look out for during self-exams, and more.
Genital exams keep you intimately aware of how the entire area typically looks and feels.
Having a baseline is key to identifying changes as they happen and seeking out appropriate diagnostic tests sooner rather than later.
In many cases, early detection allows your doctor to develop a treatment plan for cysts, growths, and other abnormalities before more serious complications can occur.
Genital exams most commonly screen for the following conditions:
If you develop a genital or rectal condition at a young age, your doctor may ask you to start doing genital self-exams.
Otherwise, you probably won't need to do self-exams until you begin going through puberty.
Your doctor may also start performing genital exams at this time — if they aren't already — as part of your annual physical.
General guidelines suggest:
No lumps, bumps, or tissue issues? No need to take any action.
Found something new or unexpected? See a doctor as soon as possible.
The earlier you find a potential issue, the less likely you are to experience complications in the long run.
Do a self-exam at least once a month to stay on top of any noticeable changes and become more familiar with your genital area.
The more intimately you know your penis, scrotum, and testicles, the more sensitive you'll become to slight changes that could be worth reporting to a doctor.
Yes! Your doctor is trained to recognize numerous signs and symptoms of genital, urinary, and rectal conditions.
Your doctor also has significant training in diagnosing and treating these kinds of conditions.
This means that they can provide immediate recommendations for treatment or refer you to specialists to ensure that you receive any necessary care.
A general practitioner (GP) or primary care physician (PCP) can do physical examinations, which usually include basic genital exams.
If a genital exam isn't included, request that your GP or PCP do one for you.
If you feel uncomfortable asking for or receiving this exam, talk to a doctor about the self-examination process.
They can ensure that you're using the correct method to monitor for changes at home.
If needed, your GP or PCP can refer you to a urologist for specialized diagnosis and treatment.
Urologists are specifically trained in penile, testicular, and genital health, so they can offer individualized information about treatment and prevention.
Depending on your medical history, your doctor may perform one or more of the following exams:
You don't, but it may happen unintentionally — and that's completely normal.
Your penis is full of sensitive nerves and erogenous zones that are meant to help you get erect, so it isn't unusual for an erection to occur while your doctor is physically examining the area.
Your doctor has probably seen this happen hundreds or thousands of times, so they shouldn't be fazed.
If you're age 55 or older, you may already be getting annual prostate exams.
Otherwise, your doctor likely won't recommend this exam unless they observe unusual symptoms that could be related to your prostate.
A prostate exam is actually composed of two different tests: the digital rectal exam and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) exam. Here's how they're done.
This is a blood test. Your doctor will take a sample of your blood and send it to a lab to test for PSA.
Here's what PSA results are read:
The PSA test is somewhat controversial, so your doctor won't use it to diagnose anything without taking the results of other tests into consideration.
Get a clinical genital exam at least once a year. Basic genital exams that involve checking your genital appearance and lightly feeling around the area are typically done during routine or annual physicals.
You can request that your doctor do more specific or detailed tests if you're concerned about any changes you've noticed in your genitals.
Your next steps will depend on what, if any, symptoms your doctor observed during the clinical exam.
Here are some possibilities:
Genital exams are an important part of ensuring your overall health.
You can do self-exams at home, but you should also get formal genital exams done as part of your annual check-up.
Your doctor can diagnose anything new you may have noticed, catch anything that you may not have observed, or use follow-up tests to determine whether these changes indicate an underlying condition.