Itchy Testicles: At Night, STD, And No Rash - Healthline

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Why Are My Testicles Itchy?

Medically reviewed by Jillian Foglesong Stabile MD, FAAFP, DABOM — Written by Tim Jewell — Updated on May 21, 2025

Chafing or irritation
Fungal infection
Herpes
Gonorrhea
Genital warts
Chlamydia
Pubic lice
Trichomoniasis
Scabies
Outlook and prevention
Bottom line

Itching on or around your testicles or scrotum, the sack of skin that holds your testicles in place, isn’t uncommon. It can be caused by sweating, irritation, or a medical condition like a fungal infection.

Some of these conditions may require you to talk with your doctor about a treatment plan or medication in order to take care of the source of the itch.

Possible causes of itchy testicles include:

Chafing or irritation

Dry skin around your genital area is common if you walk around in dry heat. Exercising for long periods of time can also cause your skin to get irritated or chafed. In some cases, the skin can be rubbed away enough to cause bleeding.

Some common signs of chafing and irritation include:

skin feeling raw to the touch
redness, color change, or rash on the skin
surface-level cuts or openings in your skin

To treat chafing and irritation

Chafing and irritation can be treated using lotion or powder that prevents your skin from rubbing against another surface of the skin. Using bandages or gauze to cover up a chafed, irritated area can also help make your testicles less itchy.

Fungal infection

Many fungi are almost invisible to the naked eye. Fungi usually live in giant colonies that are also barely visible, even when they’re living on your body.

Fungal infections can easily develop around your genital area and testicles if you have poor hygiene or have sex without a condom or barrier method. Having excessive skin folds or recent antibiotic use also raises the risk of fungal growth.

One of the most common fungal infections of the genitals is candidiasis. Candida fungi live in or on your body, in your intestines and skin. If they grow out of control, they can cause an infection, which can cause your testicles to get itchy.

A different type of fungus called a dermatophyte, can also result in a similar infection called jock itch.

Other symptoms can include:

pain while urinating
burning around your scrotum and penis
swelling of the scrotum or penis skin
reddish skin around the scrotum or penis
abnormal odor
dry, flaky skin

To treat fungal infections

Fungal infections can go away independently, but you may need to be treated by antifungals or creams and ointments. See your doctor for antifungal medication if you believe a fungal infection is causing your testicles to itch.

Genital herpes

Genital herpes is a type of viral infection that can be spread during sex or physical contact with infected skin.

Your testicles can feel extremely itchy or uncomfortable when you have an outbreak of this virus. Other symptoms of genital herpes include:

feeling exhausted or sick
burning or itching around your testicles and penis
blisters around your genital area that can pop and become open sores
pain while urinating

To treat genital herpes

For a genital herpes outbreak, you may need to take antiviral medication, such as valacyclovir (Valtrex) or acyclovir (Zovirax). Treatment lasts about a week, but if you get outbreaks frequently, you may need long-term medication.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), often referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD), caused by bacteria. It can infect your genital area as well as your mouth, throat, and rectum. It’s easily transmitted by unprotected sex.

Gonorrhea can make your testicles itchy and swollen. Other common symptoms of gonorrhea include:

pain or burning while urinating
leaking discolored (green, yellow, or white) discharge from the penis
testicular pain, especially only in one testicle at a time

To treat gonorrhea

Gonorrhea infections can be treated and cured with prescription antibiotics. Talk with your doctor about getting treatment as soon as you notice symptoms.

Long-term complications of gonorrhea, such as infertility, can’t be cured once the damage has been done. Since gonorrhea can occur along with other STIs, it’s important to test for them as well.

Genital warts

Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). You may not notice genital warts even when you have an outbreak because they can be extremely small.

Like warts on other parts of your body, genital warts usually look like small, discolored bumps that may or may not be itchy. They’re often cauliflower-shaped and appear in large groups together with other warts.

They may appear right on your scrotum or as far away as your inner thighs. When you have genital warts, you may notice swelling in the area or bleeding during sex.

To treat genital warts

Genital warts can be treated with medicated ointments for your skin, such as imiquimod (Aldara) and podofilox (Condylox). In some cases, your doctor may need to remove warts by freezing them (cryotherapy) or performing surgery.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is an STI spread by a bacterial infection. It can be spread even if you don’t ejaculate during sex. Like many other STIs, it can also be spread through genital sex as well as oral and anal sex.

Chlamydia can make your testicles itchy and even swollen. Chlamydia usually makes only one testicle feel painful and swollen, which is one of the most distinct signs that you may have an infection. Other symptoms include:

discolored (green, yellow, or white) discharge from the penis
pain or burning while urinating
pain, bleeding, or discharge from the rectum or anus

To treat chlamydia

Chlamydia can be treated with medication, such as azithromycin (Zithromax) or doxycycline (Acticlate, Doryx). You’ll have to wait at least a week after treatment to have sex again. Your partner or partners will also need to be tested, and your doctor should test for other STIs.

Pubic lice

Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis, often known simply as “crabs”) are a type of lice that live in the pubic hair around your genital area or in areas with similarly coarse hair.

Like other types of lice, pubic lice feed on your blood and can’t fly or jump. They can only be spread by coming into contact with someone who has them, which can happen by touching someone in an area where they have a lice infestation.

Pubic lice can’t spread disease or infection when they feed on your blood, but they can make your testicles and genital area feel itchy as they crawl around in your pubic hair. You may also notice a powder-like substance in your underwear or small red or blue spots from louse bites.

To treat pubic lice

Pubic lice can be treated with medications prescribed by your doctor or by over-the-counter treatments. Thoroughly washing the affected area and applying the medication helps kill many of the lice, but you’ll still need to comb through the hair to remove the rest yourself.

You can buy kits for lice removal at many drugstores.

Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis (often called trich) is an STI caused by the Trichomonas vaginalis parasite.

Trich more commonly infects women, but it can be transmitted to men if condoms or oral dams aren’t used during sex.

Many people who get trich infections never have any symptoms, but trich can cause irritation or inflammation that can make your genital area feel uncomfortable and make it more painful to have sex.

Trich can make your testicles feel itchy and cause other symptoms, such as:

itchy feeling inside your penis
discolored (green, yellow, or white) discharge from the penis
pain or burning while urinating or when ejaculating during sex

To treat trichomoniasis

Trich can be treated with several doses of tinidazole (Tindamax) or metronidazole (Flagyl). After taking the medication, don’t have sex again for at least a week.

Scabies

Scabies is a skin infection that is caused by a mite. The microscopic scabies mite, or Sarcoptes scabiei, is transmitted by direct skin contact with a person who has the infection.

It may take several weeks for symptoms to appear after infection. Common symptoms include itching and a rash. People with scabies also experience intense itching symptoms at night.

To treat scabies

Your doctor can prescribe ointments, creams, and lotions that can get rid of scabies and treat the rash and itching. Most topical treatments for scabies are applied at night when the mites are most active. It’s then washed off in the morning.

What is the outlook for itchy testicles?

Bathing or showering regularly can prevent the most common causes of itchy testicles, including irritation and fungal infections. Shower at least once a day or after you’ve been outside for a long time, especially if you’ve been sweating a lot.

Wearing condoms or using oral dams during sex can help prevent the spread of almost any STI. Getting regularly tested for STIs, especially if you’re sexually active, can help keep you aware of your sexual health and prevent you from transmitting infections without knowing it.

Communicate with your sexual partners if you find out that you have an STI. It’s likely that you either transmitted the disease to them or contracted it from them, so make sure you and your partners get treated to prevent the infection from spreading further.

The bottom line

The most common causes of itchy testicles are irritation and fungal infections caused by poor hygiene or excessive sweating. Regular bathing and applying lotion and powder can prevent most cases.

The itchiness can also be caused by STIs like genital herpes, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. These infections may require prescription medications.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

About chlamydia. (2025).https://www.cdc.gov/chlamydia/about/index.html
About gonorrhea. (2025).https://www.cdc.gov/gonorrhea/about/index.html
About pubic lice. (2024).https://www.cdc.gov/lice/about/pubic-lice.html
Becker Y. (1996). Chlamydia.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8091/
Cervical cancer: Human papillomavirus. (2025).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279260/
Genital herpes. (2023).https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/genital-herpes/
Genital herpes. (n.d.).https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/contagious-skin-diseases/genital-herpes
Pubic lice. (2022).https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pubic-lice/
Rolston KVI, et al. (2003). Fungal infections.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK13518/
Types of fungal diseases. (2024).https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/about/types-of-fungal-diseases.html
World Health Organization. (2024). Herpes simplex virus [Fact sheet].https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simplex-virus

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Medically reviewed by Jillian Foglesong Stabile MD, FAAFP, DABOM — Written by Tim Jewell — Updated on May 21, 2025

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