Bringing the testicle down into the normal spot, the scrotum, maximizes sperm production and increases the odds of good fertility. It also allows for early detection of testicular cancer. In other cases, no testes can be found at all, even on surgical exploration. This happens before birth. Usually the testicles will descend by age one without any help. If they do not, the first course of treatment can be hormone injections to stimulate movement and help the testicle descend.
Surgery is the most common treatment. Recent research now suggests that surgery should be done early, rather than later, to prevent infertility. While the child is under anesthesia, an incision is made in the groin, where most undescended testes are located.
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. 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. 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. Only testicles that are truly undescended need treatment. A pediatric urologist can tell the difference with a physical exam. The testicles need to be 2 to 3 degrees cooler than normal body temperature to make sperm.
The scrotum is many degrees cooler than body temperature, and so is the ideal place for the testicle. Testicles that don't drop into the scrotum won't work normally. The longer the testicles are too warm, the lower chances are that the sperm in that testicle will mature normally. This can be a cause of infertility, especially when both testicles are affected. See More See Less. The testicles or "testes" are 2 organs that hang in a pouch-like skin sac the scrotum below the penis.
The testicles are where sperm and testosterone the male sex hormone are made. The scrotum keeps the testicles in a cooler setting than the body. This is because sperm can't grow at body temperature. During childhood, sperm in the testicles go through a process that results in mature sperm at puberty. Normal testicles form early in a baby boy's growth.
They form in the lower belly abdomen , but descend, or "drop," into the scrotum toward the end of pregnancy. Normal testicles attach themselves with stretchable tissue in the bottom of the scrotum. This is controlled by the baby's normal hormones.
In most children with this health issue, it's not known why the testicles fail to drop. It may be because the testicles aren't normal to start with. In other cases, there's a mechanical problem. The testicles drop but miss the scrotum, ending up next to the scrotum instead. These are called "ectopic testicles. No studies have shown that the problem is caused by something the mother did or ate during pregnancy.
Sometimes the testicles drop but don't attach in the scrotum. Then, when the boy grows, it becomes clear that the testicles aren't attached. About 1 of every 5 cases of undescended testicles are found once the boy is no longer a baby.
For this reason, all boys should have the location of their testicles checked during each annual physical exam. A testicle that can't be felt in a physical exam is called "nonpalpable.
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