How low your testicles hang depends mainly on temperature, muscle tension, and age. Two muscle systems control scrotal position in real time, and understanding how they work reveals which approaches can safely encourage a lower hang and which carry serious risks.
Why Your Testicles Change Position
Two separate muscle groups act like a pulley system for your scrotum. The cremaster muscle, a paired structure of thin striated and smooth muscle fibers, loops over the spermatic cord and attaches to each testicle. Its name comes from a Greek word meaning “suspender,” and that’s exactly what it does: it raises and lowers the testicles based on signals from the genitofemoral nerve in your lower spine.
The second player is the dartos muscle, a layer of smooth muscle embedded in the scrotal skin itself. When the dartos contracts, the scrotal skin tightens and wrinkles. When it relaxes, the skin loosens and stretches downward.
Both muscles respond to the same primary trigger: temperature. In cold conditions, both contract to pull the testicles closer to your body, keeping them warm enough for healthy sperm production. In warm conditions, both relax, letting the scrotum drop and cool itself. Research in the Journal of Physiology confirmed that scrotal temperature is regulated independently from core body temperature through its own feedback loop involving scrotal heat sensors, dartos muscle activity, and local sweat glands. Beyond temperature, the cremaster also contracts during stress, anxiety, the fight-or-flight response, and sexual arousal.
Heat Is the Simplest Approach
Since warmth is the primary signal that relaxes both scrotal muscles, the most straightforward way to encourage a lower hang is to keep the area warm. A warm bath or shower will produce a noticeable drop within minutes. Wearing snug, insulating underwear (like briefs or boxer briefs made from synthetic fabric) keeps ambient warmth around the scrotum throughout the day, while loose cotton boxers in a cold room will have the opposite effect.
Sitting for extended periods also warms the groin area, which is why you may notice more hang after a long stretch at a desk compared to walking outside in winter. If you’re specifically looking for a lower hang in a particular moment, a warm compress or simply being in a warm room for 15 to 20 minutes will relax both the cremaster and dartos muscles naturally.
One important caveat: prolonged heat exposure to the testicles can temporarily reduce sperm production. Sperm cells need temperatures a few degrees below core body heat to develop normally. Occasional warmth for comfort or appearance is fine, but consistently overheating the area (hot tubs for hours, heated seat pads daily) could affect fertility over weeks or months.
Reducing Muscle Tension and Stress
Because the cremaster contracts during stress and anxiety, chronic tension can keep your testicles riding higher than they otherwise would. Anything that lowers your baseline stress level, whether that’s exercise, sleep, or simply being in a relaxed state, allows the cremaster to release. You might notice your scrotum hangs lowest when you’re calm, warm, and at rest.
Some people find that regular stretching of the hip flexors and inner thighs helps indirectly. The cremaster originates partly from the internal oblique muscle and inguinal ligament in the lower abdomen, so loosening the surrounding musculature may reduce resting tension on the cremaster. This hasn’t been studied specifically for scrotal hang, but it follows the anatomy.
What About Stretching Devices and Weights
Ball stretchers, weighted rings, and similar devices are widely sold, but the medical evidence on mechanical stretching of the spermatic cord is alarming. An experimental study that applied controlled stretch force to the spermatic cord for just 60 seconds found significant thinning of the vas deferens wall (the tube that carries sperm), measurable testicular weight loss, and tissue death in 42 to 50 percent of subjects. Even the lower-force group showed damage.
The spermatic cord contains the blood supply to each testicle, the vas deferens, and the nerves that keep the tissue alive. Compressing or pulling on this structure risks cutting off blood flow (which can cause testicular atrophy), damaging the reproductive tract, or creating chronic pain. These devices carry real risk of permanent harm, and no clinical evidence supports their safety for regular use.
Age and Natural Changes
The scrotum naturally hangs lower with age. As you get older, the dartos and cremaster muscles lose tone, and scrotal skin loses elasticity, the same way skin loosens elsewhere on the body. Many men notice a significant difference between their 20s and 40s. This is a normal part of aging, not a medical concern.
For some older adults, the opposite problem develops: the scrotum sags enough to cause discomfort, chafing, or self-consciousness. A cosmetic procedure called scrotoplasty can tighten a sagging scrotum by removing excess skin. It’s a relatively minor outpatient surgery with a typical hospital stay of about two days. Risks include nerve injury, painful intercourse, and scarring, but the procedure is primarily performed to improve comfort and quality of life rather than for medical necessity.
When Lower Hang Signals a Problem
If one side of your scrotum suddenly hangs noticeably lower than usual, especially with a dull ache that worsens throughout the day or when standing, a varicocele could be the cause. A varicocele is an enlargement of the veins inside the scrotum, similar to varicose veins in the legs. Blood pools in these swollen veins rather than circulating out efficiently, which can make the affected side feel heavier and hang lower.
Large varicoceles are sometimes visible as a mass above the testicle, often described as looking like a “bag of worms.” Smaller ones are only noticeable by touch. Beyond the cosmetic change, varicoceles can cause the affected testicle to shrink, reduce sperm production, and lead to fertility problems. They’re common (affecting roughly 15 percent of men) and treatable, so asymmetric hanging paired with discomfort is worth getting checked.
What Actually Works Safely
The practical options come down to a short list. Warmth is the most effective and safest lever you have: warm environments, warm baths, and insulating underwear all encourage the scrotal muscles to relax. Reducing stress and staying in a calm physical state helps the cremaster release rather than contract. Over time, age will naturally lower your hang as muscle tone decreases. Mechanical stretching devices pose documented risks to blood flow, fertility, and testicular tissue, and no medical evidence supports their safety. If the appearance of your scrotum is a significant concern, a cosmetic scrotoplasty is the only clinically supervised option for changing scrotal shape, though it’s designed for tightening rather than lengthening.