Don’t just take care of the rest of yourself, take care of your balls too. Here are six facts about the proper care and handling of your boys:

1. Keep them cool

A laptop on your lap raises your balls’ temp, which may harm sperm quality, a fertility and sterility study found. Set devices on a table, says MH urology advisor Dr Larry Lipshultz.

2. Eye their size

Older men with a testicular volume of 20 millilitres or more risk heart troubles, a Journal of Sexual Medicine study reports. The authors say blood vessel damage may up testes size.

Read more: I survived testicular cancer – here’s why you should get your balls checked

3. Move your phone

Numerous studies have linked cellphone exposure to decreased sperm count and quality. So keep your phone in your back pocket instead of in the front one, says Dr Lipshultz.

4. Hit the sack

Less sleep means more stress hormones, which can sap sperm production, says Tobias Köhler, an associate Professor of urology at Southern Illinois University.

Read more: Do women care about the size of your balls?

5. Get a safe snip

A vasectomy won’t cause erectile dysfunction, a new study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found. That is, unless you have sex within 72 hours. The possible pain or bleeding could leave you limp.

Read more: I had a vasectomy. This is what it’s really like

6. Kill spiders

Dilated veins in your scrotum, which are similar to spider veins, may cause infertility and testicular shrinkage, says Köhler. Schedule an appointment with a urologist.

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