Having an itch on or around your testicles or your scrotum, the sack of skin that holds your testicles in place, isn’t uncommon. It can be caused by sweating, irritation, or a medical condition like a fungal infection.
Some of these conditions may require you to talk with your doctor about a treatment plan or medication in order to take care of the source of the itch.
Possible causes of itchy testicles include:
Chafing or irritation
Dry skin around your genital area is common if you walk around in dry heat. Exercising for long periods of time can also cause your skin to get irritated or chafed. In some cases, the skin can be rubbed away enough to cause bleeding.
Some common signs of chafing and irritation include:
skin feeling raw to the touch, redness or rash on the skin
surface-level cuts or openings in your skin
Fungal infection
Many fungi are almost invisible to the naked eye. Fungi usually live in giant colonies that are also barely visible, even when they’re living on your body. Fungal infections can easily develop around your genital area and testicles if you have unprotected sex or poor hygiene.
One of the most common fungal infections of the genitals is candidiasis . Candida fungi live in or on your body in your intestines and skin. If they grow out of control, they can cause an infection. This can cause your testicles to get itchy.
A different type of fungus, called a dermatophyte, can also result in a similar infection called jock itch.
Other symptoms can include:
pain while urinating, burning around your scrotum and penis swelling of the scrotum or penis skin reddish skin around the scrotum or penis abnormal odor, dry, flaky skin
Genital herpes
Genital herpes is a type of viral infection that can be spread during sex or physical contact with infected skin.
Your testicles can feel extremely itchy or uncomfortable when you have an outbreak of this virus. Other symptoms of genital herpes include:
feeling exhausted or sick burning or itching around your testicles and penis blisters around your genital area that can pop and become open sores pain while urinating
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), often referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD), caused by bacteria. It can infect your genital area as well as your mouth, throat, and rectum. It’s easily transmitted by unprotected sex.
Gonorrhea can make your testicles itchy and swollen. Other common symptoms of gonorrhea include:
pain or burning while urinating leaking discolored (green, yellow, or white) discharge from the penis testicular pain, especially only in one testicle at a time
Genital warts
Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). You may not notice genital warts even when you have an outbreak because they can be extremely small.
Like warts on other parts of your body, genital warts usually look like small, discolored bumps that may or may not be itchy. They’re often cauliflower-shaped and appear in large groups together with other warts.
They may appear right on your scrotum or as far away as your inner thighs. When you have genital warts, you may notice swelling in the area or bleed during sex.
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is an STI spread by a bacterial infection. It can be spread even if you don’t ejaculate during sex. Like many other STIs, it can also be spread through genital sex as well as oral and anal sex.
Chlamydia can make your testicles itchy and even swollen. Chlamydia usually makes only one testicle feel painful and swollen, which is one of the most distinct signs that you may have an infection. Other symptoms include:
discolored (green, yellow, or white) discharge from the penis pain or burning while urinating pain, bleeding, or discharge from the rectum or anus
Pubic lice
Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis, often known simply as “crabs”) are a type of lice that live in the pubic hair around your genital area or in areas with similarly coarse hair.
Like other types of lice, pubic lice feed on your blood and can’t fly or jump. They can only be spread by coming into contact with someone who has them. This can happen by touching someone in an area where they have a lice infestation.
Pubic lice can’t spread disease or infection when they feed on your blood, but they can make your testicles and genital area feel itchy as they crawl around in your pubic hair. You may also notice a powder-like substance in your underwear or small red or blue spots from louse bites.
Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis (often called trich) is a STI caused by the Trichomonas vaginalis parasite.
Trich more commonly infects women, but it can be transmitted to men if condoms or oral dams aren’t used during sex.
Many people who get trich infections never have any symptoms, but trich can cause irritation or inflammation that can make your genital area feel uncomfortable and make it more painful to have sex.
Trich can make your testicles feel itchy and cause other symptoms, such as:
itchy feeling inside your penis discolored (green, yellow, or white) discharge from the penis pain or burning while urinating or when ejaculating during sex
Scabies
Scabies is a skin infection that is caused by a mite. The microscopic scabies mite, or Sarcoptes scabiei, is transmitted when you have direct skin contact with an infected person.
It may take several weeks for symptoms to appear after infection. Common symptoms include itching and a rash. People with scabies also experience intense itching symptoms at night.
Source: www.healthline.com
