# Three Testicles!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794 "2004-08-01T01:13:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChristineJellyBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@ChristineJellyBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChristineJellyBean)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/1 "2004-08-01T01:13:03Z")
My boyfriend is a healthy looking man but he has 3 testicles. It’s kinda like 2 reg size ones and then a smaller one bout half the size of the other 2. Is this ok? He said he’s had them for as long as he could remember! What might it be? Could it be cancer? If so wouldn’t he have had other signs? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/2 "2004-08-01T01:36:36Z")
Not common but not unknown. He was born to be a pawnbroker. ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/3 "2004-08-01T01:38:10Z")
Google on [polyorchidism](http://www.gehealthcare.com/rad/us/technology/msupoly.html) for more information. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/4 "2004-08-01T01:38:29Z")
Do a Google search on ‘polyorchidism’ (I learned that playing Trivial Pursuit!) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/5 "2004-08-01T01:39:57Z")
darn simulposts ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/6 "2004-08-01T02:19:03Z")
It’s early yet, but I was surprised that nobody asked what to do with an elephant with three balls. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/7 "2004-08-01T02:49:23Z")
I’ll bite. I like stupid elephant jokes. What do you do with an elephant that has three balls? Ah. Shit. I’m slow tonight. “Walk him, and pitch to the zebra.” Badaboom! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/8 "2004-08-01T03:16:29Z")
> [@Mort Furd](#): > > I’ll bite. I like stupid elephant jokes. > > What do you do with an elephant that has three balls? > > Ah. Shit. I’m slow tonight. “Walk him, and pitch to the zebra.” > > Badaboom! The other baseball releated one: “He doesn’t have to run, he’s got four balls.” " . . . Walk with pr-r-r-ide, mon, walk with pride!" DD ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/9 "2004-08-01T03:59:51Z")
Hmm, if it has been there for as long as he can remember without having grown in size then I doubt that it is a tumor, but testicular cancer IS quite common in young men. Sometimes a lump is the only symptom. So, it probably would be a good idea to address this with a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![AntaresJB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@AntaresJB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AntaresJB)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/10 "2004-08-01T07:16:00Z")
I offer this story with no cites, but one of my college voice professors, in a discussion of the age of the _castrati_ (male singers castrated to keep their high youthful voices), told us that one of the most famous castrati singers went on to father children, because he had three testicles and in the castration process they only got two. So it’s not unheard of, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/11 "2004-08-01T12:58:34Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > The other baseball releated one: > > “He doesn’t have to run, he’s got four balls.” > > " . . . Walk with pr-r-r-ide, mon, walk with pride!" > > DD Did you listen to the PHC Annual Joke show this weekend? ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/12 "2004-08-01T13:02:31Z")
Any chance his last name is de Medici? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/13 "2004-08-01T13:56:59Z")
There’s another common abnormality called a spermatocele, which is essentially a cyst in the sperm duct. I’ve had one since puberty, and it’s now about the size of an unshelled almond or a runt testicle. It hasn’t grown much in the 30 years since it first appeared. Definitely have him get it checked out by the doc, but odds are it’s nothing serious. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/14 "2004-08-01T17:32:29Z")
There was a guy who went to my high school who thought he had three balls. We had all seen him in the shower, and boy howdy, was it convincing. We called him **E.T.** – but that’s not important right now. What’s important is that the third one turned out to be a large fatty benign cyst. He had it removed with no ill effects except a minor decrease in fame. If nothing else, taking your boyfriend to get snipped will certainly strengthen your relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/15 "2004-08-01T18:20:48Z")
“And now, a man with three buttocks” [sub]s’truth!![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/16 "2004-08-01T19:15:00Z")
\It’s disGUSTing!\ ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_dePlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/17 "2004-08-01T20:28:10Z")
> [@AntaresJB](#): > > I offer this story with no cites, but one of my college voice professors, in a discussion of the age of the _castrati_ (male singers castrated to keep their high youthful voices), told us that one of the most famous castrati singers went on to father children, because he had three testicles and in the castration process they only got two. My skepticism meter is pegged by this. For one thing, if he still had a testicle, presumably he would not have kept his youthful voice and could not have become a famous castrati singer. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/18 "2004-08-01T22:08:34Z")
Get it checked out. But there is no downside to three that I am aware of. Mine are small, medium and large. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/19 "2004-08-02T05:25:57Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Did you listen to the PHC Annual Joke show this weekend? Nope. Never even heard of the PHC Annual joke show. It’s an old _old_ chestnut that has probably been around as long as they settled on four balls for a walk. DD ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794/20 "2004-08-02T07:56:06Z")
> [@MrFantsyPants](#): > > Get it checked out. But there is no downside to three that I am aware of. Mine are small, medium and large. Were you born in Wiltshire(UK)? _There once was a man from Devizes Whose bollocks were three diff’rent sizes One was so small, it was nothing at all But another was large, and won prizes._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-testicles/257794.md?page=2)