A new campaign hopes to bring men up to speed with one of our most common, but most beatable cancers.
Testicular Cancer Awareness Month wants to remind men to give themselves a check downstairs - through a pair of Jockey undies.
"The main message to young men in particular, is to check your balls," says Paul Hayes, marketing and fundraising manager for Testicular Cancer New Zealand.
Last September, Rotorua man John Anderson found something that should have set off alarm bells - a lump in one of his testicles.
"I thought that it'd just go away. And everything would be normal," he told Newshub.
Two months later he finally went to a doctor and found the lump had doubled in size, and he had testicular cancer.
But he only went to the GP because his wife Charlotte encouraged him to.
"In all honesty, I probably would've put it off for even longer, so she was very important," he admits.
Anderson was lucky and was able to get his lump removed.
Urologist Andrew Williams says men are still taking the "she'll be right" approach.
"You'll be amazed at what people put off. I've seen young guys turn up with tumours the size of American footballs sitting in there," he says.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer affecting men between 18 and 39.
"The general response from lots of people is 'but you're so young!' But I'm actually in the age bracket," says 30-year-old Anderson.
Every year 150 men are diagnosed - but with early detection it's also one of the most beatable cancers.
"The earlier you detect testicular cancer, the easier it is to treat, and the more likely it is you'll survive the cancer. It's a 95 percent survival rate for early detection," Hayes says.
April is Testicular Cancer New Zealand's awareness month. This year, it's encouraging men to get to know their own bodies through a pair of texting Jockey underwear.
Owners of the $32.99 'Remundies' underwear register online and get monthly reminders to give things down there a check.
"Once a month you'll receive a text message with a fun message, just a gentle reminder to self-check your testicles for lumps and bumps," says Hayes.
The best time to check is in the shower, when things are a little warmer.
What you're looking for is anything that might feel enlarged, hard, or sore.
