The male genitals include the penis, testicles and scrotal sac/scrotum. These organs make, store and transport sperm. A sperm is a very tiny male sex cell. The sperm cell is needed to fertilize a woman's egg (ova) to make a baby.
The testicles are two organs that hang in a pouch-like skin sac (the scrotum) below the penis. These organs are where sperm and testosterone (the male sex hormone) are made. Testicles form early in a baby boy's growth, while still in the womb. They form in the lower belly (abdomen) and drop into the scrotum near the end of pregnancy. Healthy testicles attach themselves with tissues that stretch in the bottom of the scrotum.
“Undescended testicle” is the term used when one or both testicles fail to move into the scrotum. As a result, the scrotum looks and feels empty. A pediatrician will check for this during a routine exam.
Dr. Carmen Tong, a pediatric urologist at The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama says this is very common and affects up to 10% of full-term and up to 45% of preterm baby boys.
“When a newborn is diagnosed with one or both undescended testes, I recommend that parents watch and wait for about 6 months. During that period, there is typically a surge in testosterone that could cause the testes to drop into the scrotum on their own.”
Dr. Tong says if the testes don’t drop on their own, she recommends talking to your doctor about surgery. This can be scary for parents of a newborn, but the long-term risks of not having surgery at that time may lead to major consequences down the road. “I tell parents that there are two main risks of undescended testicles when children grow into adults. Risks include difficulty having children and testicular cancer. The longer the testes remain in the body, the more potential for unhealthy sperm causing family planning issues in the future as well as a higher risk of testicular cancer. It is believed that the higher temperature inside the body causes these later issues.”
Undescended testicles are also linked to:
- Poor development of the testicle and sperm cells over time
- Inguinal hernia (a hernia that develops near the groin)
- An undescended testicle left inside the abdomen could form a tumor later in life. Such a tumor might not be noticed until it becomes large or causes symptoms.
Once the testes drop on their own or surgery is performed, Dr. Tong recommends parents have a conversation with their child as they become teens and young adults. “Even though the testes are in the correct location in the body, because a child was born with this condition, they need to know they are still at a higher risk for testicular cancer as well as potential problems when it comes to having children.”
“These conversations can be hard, especially during the teen years, but it is of great value that children know they might face medical problems as they get older. I encourage parents to educate these young men on how to do monthly self-exams for testicular cancer to look for changes like bumps or lumps and to see a family doctor for a yearly exam. The good news is that the surgery is very common and successful. The sooner the surgery is done, the higher the success rate for sperm to remain healthy and functioning going into adulthood.”
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