Will my 40-day-old baby’s left testes descend on their own?

Question

Hi doctor,

My 40-day-old son's left testis is undescended. Sonography shows his testis on the upper end of the inguinal canal.

Please suggest whether it will come down naturally.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

According to the report you have sent (attachment removed to protect patient identity), the child has a left-sided undescended testis. It is a common practice to wait until the baby is six months old before operating. There is a small chance that the testis might descend on its own by six months.

They usually do not descend after six months, and the risk of that testis becoming nonfunctional if waiting beyond six months is high. Another thing is, there is a small risk of the testis becoming cancerous if it is not operated on within one year. So, your child will need a surgical orchidopexy by about six months of age if it does not descend spontaneously.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

From the current point of view, the following are the possibilities in your child’s future.

1. The testis descends on its own and hence no surgery is required.

2. The testis does not descend, and there is no point in expecting it to descend after six months; hence, surgery is required.

3. Because the inguinal region is not conducive to the growth of the testis, it might even regress and disappear by six months.

4. The testis may not have formed at all on the left side, and the structure seen on an ultrasound in the inguinal region could be an inguinal lymph node.

Surgery is the only option for an undescended testis. The function of the testis following surgery is difficult to predict because the only sure way of knowing is, after he gets his companion pregnant, that is, after he becomes sexually active. Even then, since the other testis is normal, the sperm could have been from the other testis. No sure way of knowing. So, on the bright side, even if one testis is present and normal, the child can lead a normal life.

The other way to know is to get a testicular biopsy, which is a surgical procedure in itself. The cost varies from hospital to hospital, and I have no idea about the costs abroad.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.