Good news: you don’t need to. Routine testicular self examination – just like regular breast self examination in women – has been discredited.

Originally, it seemed, intuitively, a good idea, but closer scrutiny shows that it’s pointless, and maybe even harmful.

Before any of the men’s health brigade jump on me for encouraging men to neglect their health, give me a minute to explain – and read through to the end.

Testicular cancer is, thankfully, rare – much rarer than you’d think, given the media coverage it receives. The average GP will see only about two or three new cases in his entire career.

When it does occur, it usually produces a symptom to give the game away: an ache, a heaviness, an obvious swelling and so on.

So you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out that the chances of stumbling across an unsuspected cancer via a routine ball check when you don’t have any symptoms is about as likely - though less fun - than winning the lottery.

What you may well find, though, is any one of a number of harmless abnormalities: cysts, swollen veins, normal bits of anatomy and so on.

The result is unnecessary anxiety and, often, unnecessary tests, such as an ultrasound scan of the testicles – which, in turn, pushes up the waiting list for those who really need it. This is why routine breast self examination is no longer recommended. The research shows that a ritual check does not improve outcome - but it does lead to worry and unnecessary biopsies.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that I’m discouraging you from having a feel around if you develop symptoms – that’s a totally different situation and one you’d be daft to ignore.

If you’re not sure about what you’re feeling, just compare it to the other side. And if you think you’ve found a lump, or you’re not certain, get it checked by the doc asap.

Research shows that delays in the diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer aren’t caused by men failing to spot a problem – it’s caused by them failing to act on it.