What Are Undescended Testicles?
Undescended testicles (also known as cryptorchidism) is a condition
in which one or both of a baby boy's testicles (testes) have not moved down into their
proper place in the scrotum.
How Do Undescended Testicles Happen?
As a baby boy grows inside his mother's womb, his testicles form inside his abdomen
and move down (descend) into the scrotum shortly before birth. But in some cases,
that move doesn't happen, and the baby is born with one or both testicles undescended.
The majority of cases are in male babies born prematurely.
Undescended testicles move down on their own in about half of these babies by the
time they're 6 months old. If they don't, it's important to get treatment. The testicles
make and store sperm, and if they don't descend they could become damaged. This could
affect fertility later in life or lead to other medical problems.
How Is Cryptorchidism Diagnosed?
Doctors usually diagnose cryptorchidism during a physical exam at birth or at a
checkup shortly after. Most undescended testicles can be located or "palpated" on
exam by the doctor.
In a few boys, the testicle may not be where it can be located or palpated, and
may appear to be missing. In some of these cases, the testicle could be inside the
abdomen.
Some boys may have retractile testes. This is a normal condition
in which the testicles can appear to be outside of the scrotum from time to time,
raising the concern of an undescended testicle. The testes usually are in the scrotum,
but sometimes temporarily pull back up into the groin. A retractile testicle doesn't
require treatment because it's a normal condition. But a pediatric specialist might
need to do an exam to distinguish it from an undescended testicle.
How Are Undescended Testicles Treated?
If a testicle has not descended on its own by the time a baby is 6 months old,
he should be checked by a pediatric specialist and have treatment if the condition
is confirmed. This usually involves surgically repositioning the testicle into the
scrotum.
Treatment is necessary for several reasons:
- Being up in the body means the undescended testicle is at a higher temperature
than usual (testicles need to be below regular body temperature to produce sperm).
The higher temperature may harm the testicle's development and its ability to make
sperm in the future. This could possibly lead to infertility (the inability to father
children).
- An undescended testicle is more likely to form a tumor than a normally descended
testicle.
- The undescended testicle may be more at risk for injury or testicular
torsion.
- An asymmetrical or empty scrotum can cause a boy worry and embarrassment.
- Sometimes boys with undescended testicles develop inguinal
hernias.
If surgery is done, it's likely to be an orchiopexy (or-kee-oh-PEK-see).
In this procedure, a small cut is made in the groin and the testicle is brought down
into the scrotum, then fixed (or "pexed") in place. Doctors usually do this on an
outpatient basis (with no overnight stay in the hospital), and most boys recover fully
within a week.
Most doctors believe that boys who've had a single undescended testicle will have
normal fertility and testicular function as adults, while those who've had two undescended
testicles might be more likely to have reduced fertility.
Boys who've had undescended testicles should have regular follow-up appointments
with a urologist to make sure that no problems develop.
All boys — even those whose testicles have properly descended — should
learn how to do a testicular self-exam when they're teens so that
they can find any lumps or bumps that might be early signs of medical problems.
Date reviewed: February 2017