Every year during the month of November, many men around the world grow a mustache.
An action called Movember, aimed at raising awareness and raising funds for research into male diseases.
Vincent Valinducq deciphered this movement in Bonjour! La Matinale TF1.
In a study published in 2022 (new window)the League against cancer (new window) reveals that one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer (new window) before he turned 85. To deal with the disease, specialists educate individuals to carry out screenings as early as possible. This is also the objective of Movember – composed of “mo”, the abbreviation of mustache in Australian English, and “November” (November in English) – a movement created in 2003 by Australians. Throughout the month of November, men are invited to grow a mustache in order to raise awareness and funds for research into male diseases, which are unfortunately still too taboo in society. These include mental health problems, prostate cancer and even testicular cancer.
Testicular cancer: what are the symptoms?
As revealed by the League Against Cancer, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men aged 15 to 35. Vincent Valinducq explains in Hello! La Matinale TF1, that this disease could, however, affect fewer men if they regularly practiced self-examination. Indeed, testicular cancer generally manifests itself by one or more symptoms that are easy to identify: discomfort, pain, swelling or even a mass present in one or both testicles.
Testicular cancer: what to do if in doubt?
In his column, Vincent Valinducq invites all men over 14 to practice self-examination at least once a month “when you get out of the shower, because the heat will allow you to better examine the testicles”. “The first thing is to look in the mirror and see if one testicle is bigger than the other.”he explained. Please note, it is normal to have one testicle slightly larger than the other. However, the size gap should not be disproportionate.
To practice self-palpation, there are some good actions to adopt. “You’re going to put your thumb on the front [des testicules, NDLR] with the second and third fingers behind. You’ll need to roll your testicle gently and see if it has a mass.” continued the specialist, specifying that it was necessary to consult a doctor if an anomaly had been detected. Thus, the healthcare professional will be able to carry out several examinations such as a blood test or an ultrasound to confirm or not the presence of a possible tumor.
