Why is my right testicle riding up?

Dear Ball in hiding?  

No need to worry, your balls aren’t riding away into the sunset! What you’re experiencing sounds like retractile testicle, which happens when the muscles around your testicles contract to pull them all the way back into your body. This bundle of muscles, known as the cremaster muscle, play an important role in your body, contracting to regulate the temperature of your testicles and protect them from damage. In your case, though, this muscle is a little overprotective, responding with extra strength to normal conditions. Although it can be distressing to experience this without your control, if you're not feeling any pain, it usually isn’t a sign of anything more serious.  

Why do testicles move? 

It’s not actually your testicles that are moving, but the cremaster muscle that surrounds them. Although you might not always notice it, this muscle is constantly moving to adjust your testicles. Some reasons for this involuntary movement include:  

• Temperature: Your testicles need to maintain a certain temperature to properly produce sperm. Your cremaster muscle is like your body’s built-in climate control, adjusting as needed to protect your testicles in response to temperature changes. That’s why, when it's cold, your testicles might tighten up closer to your body.  
• Fight or flight: During your body’s automatic reaction to danger or stress, the cremaster muscle pulls your testicles closer into your body to protect them from harm.  
• Sexual arousal: When you’re turned on, the cremaster muscle pulls your testicles closer into your body. This is likely because arousal heightens the nervous system response just like fight-or-flight does. Therefore, your body may be unconsciously pulling them in even though there isn’t necessarily a threat.  

What is retractile testicle?  

Retractile testicle is when your cremaster muscle contracts to pull your testicles all the way back into your body, but with a little help can be brought back down. This response often only happens in people with “normally descended testicles,” as you note about yourself. During a strong cremaster response, the testicles temporarily ascend back into the body but can easily be guided back down.  

It’s also called an overactive cremaster response—basically, your cremaster muscle is overreacting to situations that wouldn’t normally call for such a dramatic response. In many cases, the testicles have to be guided by hand back into the scrotum, as you describe.  

What causes retractile testicles?  

There’s a number of situations that can potentially trigger retractile testicles, including sexual activity (as in your case), exercise, strong emotions, and colder temperatures. In fact, many people’s testicles contract when the inside of their thigh is simply stroked.  

However, retractile testicle is a relatively common reflex that doesn’t tend to be caused by any medical conditions. Some research has shown that people who experience retractile testicles tend to have a thicker cremaster muscle than those who don’t, so muscle thickness might make you more susceptible to it.  

Are there any treatments for retractile testicles?  

Consider speaking with a health care professional to understand if you do in fact have retractile testicles. Discussing with a provider the frequency of your episodes and the sensations you feel may help them understand what you’re experiencing and offer solutions for treatment, if necessary.  

Many people experience little to no pain with retractile testicles. This is because they can often comfortably manage by using their hand to move the testicle back into the scrotum.  

However, if you’re experiencing significant pain, you might consider  surgery. During the surgery, the cremaster muscle is split and the testicles are fixed to the bottom of the scrotal sac, so they’re no longer able to be pulled out of the scrotum.  

The ball’s in your hands with this information and hopefully it was helpful