Epididymitis

How can you get epididymitis?

You can get epididymitis through:

• Cystitis (bladder inflammation)
• An STI, like chlamydia or gonorrhoea
• A medical examination or surgery. This can cause bacteria to enter your body
• A catheter, which is a thin tube inserted in your bladder to help you pee

What are the symptoms of epididymitis?

• Pain on one side of your scrotum
• The same side will also swell
• The pain lessens when you support your scrotum
• The epididymis feels slightly harder
• The skin on your scrotum is warm and shiny
• Pain while peeing
• Feeling unwell, nausea, fever
• Discharge from your penis

Did you get a sudden, severe pain in your scrotum? Call your GP immediately. This could be testicular torsion, meaning your testicle rotated. This needs immediate medical attention.

Getting tested

The GP or STI clinic nurse examines you to see if your bladder or prostate is inflamed. Did you have sex without a condom? Then the doctor or nurse will also test you for STIs. To do this, you need to give a pee sample. You will get your result within a week. 

Treating epididymitis

You will get medication to heal the epididymitis. It’s important to take the whole course of medication. 

Do you have an STI? The epididymitis medication also helps with that. This medication will heal you from the STI and stop the symptoms. 

You can take painkillers. You can also reduce the pain by supporting your scrotum, for example with tight underwear. 

Make sure you don’t pass on an STI

Do you have an STI? Warn your sex partners, so they can get tested and treated too. 

Warn your sex partners

Preventing epididymitis

Epididymitis is mostly caused by cystitis (bladder inflammation) or by an STI. With a condom you can prevent most STIs. That’s why you should always use a condom during sex.