Orchidometer/Tanner Balls

When I first realized I had a medical fetish, I looked at as many books as I could. In the book "What's happening to my body?" book for boys, it's mentioned that the doctor will use a device called an orchidometer to measure the volume of the testes.

I've got to tell you honestly, I grew up in the 70s-80s, and the pediatrician NEVER measured the size of my testicles with this device. Has anyone ever had this done and what was the experience like? Embarrasing, or fairly normal in regard to the rest of the exam?

I googled it and found that this device is a set of beads, not a device to measure, but to compare the size of the testes to.

A good doctor becomes adept at estimating testicular size and development simply by touch, and doesn't have to resort to a string of beads to guide his assessment of your genital growth. The only time such a device might be produced in your presence, would be if he wanted to illustrate to you or your mom what you might expect as your growth and maturation continue.

Not a routine procedure. They are used when there appears to be a problem and you have been referred to a specialist for futher evaluation. An ultrasound is more effective in assessing the condition.

I have never had a doctor measure the sizes of my testes, just feel them.

Anybody (in UK in particular) know where I can get one of these please?.

I have scoured ebay and various Medfet suppliers in the UK to no avail.

I am a leeds UK based Medfet Doctor and would dearly love these to use during medical examinations of my male patients who are mainly Student type 18-30 yrs.

I have never heard of this instrument being used on anyone here in UK but know many patients who would find this either deeply humiliating or something to be proud of!.

Http://www.espmodels.co.uk/orchidometer-prader-p-4786.html

found above on google

Hi,

Thanks so very much for the excellent link.

I shall purchase a set immediately.

This will be so good to use to cause either bravado or sheer humiliation to my patients during their intimate examination.

doctorprg

This string has just prompted me to order one from a supplier in Australia. Let me know if you would like the link. Can't wait to start using it! 😃

Glad to be of help, let me know how you get on

Need to visit you again now lol. I might have some money next week, you can definetely use these on me 😃.

To Dr Michael,

would definitely like to know the Australian supplier you ordered these from.

As a play patient, I like if if the doc makes a lot of measurements of different parts of my body. starting with height and weight, but also chest, waist, arms, legs, hands feet, and genitals. I haven't found a doc who had one of these, but it would be very interesting to experience having the doc measure testicular volume this way.

I believe an orchidometer is used to try and assess whether the size of the testicles are consistent with the age of the male.

The doctor would choose a bead size which matches the testicle size, by laying the beads against the testicles and finding the closest size.

As you guys know, testicles sizes vary quit a bit.

The orchidometer can be used from an early age to adult.

Doctors can generally have a good idea by feeling the testicles, but if youngsters are examined each year the orchidometer reading is more quantitative.

An orchidometer was only used once when I was examined when young.

I have one which I use in examinations. Both I and apparently the patients enjoy the process of isolating a testicle and comparing it with one of the beads. It is just one of the genital measurements I take 😃

Dr Michael - would be interested to know what other measurements you take?

Doctor Brian

Doctor Brian, penis length and circumference (flaccid and erect). I find the best time to take flaccid measurements is some time after ejaculation. 😃

The orchidometer came into existence in 1966, having been devised in Switzerland by pediatric endocrinologist Andrea Prader. It is occasionally referred to as the Prader Orchidometer.

It is used to measure testicular volume, as an adjunct to the pubertal evaluation of males. Though most commonly used by pediatric endocrinologists, it is occasionally employed by general pediatricians.

I was examined with the orchidometer as a teenager during the late 1960's – and quite embarrassed by the procedure! My growth was normal, but for some reason the doctor elected to use the thing on me.

There were other measurements also conducted, which I'll write about at a later time.

During my exams I never saw orchidometers used. In fact, I have never seen such 'balls' in real.

To my knowledge, I never heard of using this kind of measuring instrument in France, during medical visits, and I do not remember a doctor has measured my testicles in this way when I 'was a teenager.

Despite I had many genital exams until 18, I have never seen orchidometers in real too. Only with Google images.

They show up on ebay and amazon from time to time. Based upon guys I have corresponded with, they are not used very often, at least in the U.S. It appears to be one of those things that some doctors use, others don't. And anyone who has ever followed this topic has probably discovered that medical exams vary a great deal from doctor to doctor and patient to patient.

How brilliant, though by all accounts a very rare thing to find in use!

I'd love to be examined using them, as drprg said, an extra level of humiliation!

Doctor w/Orichdometer: in this video on male infertility she's holding orchidometer beads implying she uses them to measure his balls. Jump to 1:47 to see her holding the beads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDnGU7IMkjA

Most experienced doctors don't use or need them. Just by palpation, they can determine size very accurately. If further details are needed, they rely on technology and do an ultrasound that will supply dimensions extremely accurately.

By the way, they are also quite expensive to buy!

I had noticed that. It would be good to have a set but they are beyond my means 😢

Yeah, Me too mate.

I really wanted to purchase some but the price is prohibitive.

I like any maneuver used by an examiner during a physical which makes the experience more awkward for the patient. It would have been great as an adolescent if a doctor doing a physical on me had used an orcidometer to assess my testicular size. Having a measuring device like this used in examination of the genitalia adds embarrassment and makes you feel more inspected by the doctor. It would also lengthen the time of the exam so the briefs would stay down longer.

It's not so much the absolute size they were checking, it's mostly the progression thru the Tanner stages.

As an adolescent the docs who examined me would always check my testicles but sadly I was never measured with tanner balls. I'm sure as boys at school we would all have loved to know what size our balls had reached and compare our sizes with class mates.