Undescended Testicles on Children
Undescended Testicles also commonly known as “cryptorchidism”, in which one or both testicles fail to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum by age one. Undescended testicles is a common childhood problem that affects about a third of premature babies and 3 percent of full-term infants. Incomplete testicle descent is not just a physical abnormality; it also can lead to infertility and testicular cancer later in life.
Normally, the testicle will descend by the time a child is born, or by the end of the first year of life. However, if the testes remain in the abdomen, sperm production (and fertility) is usually impaired. If not repaired by age six, the condition can cause permanent infertility.
If only one testicle has descended, the boy will have a low sperm count, whereas if both remain in the abdomen, there is usually no sperm in the semen. Researchers believe that this is because the higher temperature in the abdomen destroys the enzymes and proteins needed for normal sperm production. There are several types of cryptorchidism. In true undescended testes, the testicles are positioned within the normal route of descent, but they cannot be manually lowered into the scrotum.
“Retractile testes” usually occurs between age three and six and is caused by hyperactivity of the abdominal muscles that raises the testes. Ectopic (displaced) testes are found outside the normal route of descent in areas such as the upper groin, floor of the pelvis, penile shaft, or thigh. Many researchers believe there is less chance of cancer in ectopic testes than in true undescended testes.
Causes of Undescended Testicles
Most cases of undescended testicles have no known cause.
Undescended Testicles Symptoms
Undescended testicles should be suspected if the testis cannot be felt in the scrotum, or if the testis is very soft and small.
Undescended Testicles Treatment
Doctors disagree about whether to treat this condition surgically or with hormonal therapy, although most experts recommend some form of treatment between a child’s first and second birthday. In the United States most doctors prefer to treat one undescended testicle with surgery, placing the testis in the normal position before the second birthday, so that it has a chance of developing normally and producing sperm cells. If both testicles are undescended, many specialists prefer a combination of surgery and hormone therapy with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or both.
European doctors usually rely on hormone therapy alone as the primary treatment for all patients with undescended testicles. Unfortunately, if the testes have been injured by their failure to descend, this usually cannot be corrected. Men with undescended testicles are more likely to have hormone problems or abnormal testicular ducts. Some doctors report improvements in sperm quality among men who receive medical therapy with clomiphene citrate (an antiestrogen drug) and hCG.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Is this article helpful to you?
November 13th, 2010 - 22:39
Please help if you can;
I’m 56 years-old. In my early to mid childhood I experienced the following events. I am absolutely sure about the ages I give , plus or minus a few months. These events were both physically and emotionally traumatic for me as they involve molestation, but the event all of it eventually lead too was something that was done to me medically, because of a misdiagnosis. Once you read on, you’ll understand.
When I was at between the ages of seven and a half,I, along with another boy, my friend only a few months older than I, were molested together . I am quite sure that prior to this, I was not aware of masturbation, had no interest in my own or anyone else’s privates,etc. Within a year of this happening, I was raped by two teen aged boys, they held me for two hours and the experience was frightening and very ugly.I had never met them before. Because of these events, I went on to become quite active sexually from then on, including masturbation. When I was between the ages of 10 1/2 and 11, I discovered that there were lines (felt like strings to me then) connected to my testes, which I figured were the veins, arteries, etc. I discovered in manipulating my testes one day that there were sort of slots, or slits, on either side of the base of my penis, up where my scrotum joined my body. I soon found that I could easily slip my testes in and out of these slots. My mother walked in on me as I was slipping them in and out. I didn’t know she had noticed my sack was empty, but she must have. Al;l she did at the moment was to chastise me for playing with myself, but a day or two later I found myself at our family Dr. He exposed my privates in front of my mother and began a long examination which no one would explain to me. I was then sent outside his office, something that had never happened before during any of my prior visits. When I was called back in, they told me I was going to receive a series of ten shots. I asked why, but they said not to worry. Every week, I had to go through that embarrassing examination in front of my mother, and the shots were done in my ass. I didn’t learn until years later they treated me for a retractile testicle.
If they had only explained what they were doing, I would’ve told them the whole story. I NEVER would’ve submitted to the shots or the humiliation if they had!
As the shots ended, my life began to go from bad to worse. Already suffering from the molestation and the rape, I suddenly found myself thinking about sex constantly, and became such a constant masturbator I often ended up with friction burns from over doing. My mother never even had the smarts to at least warn me what these shots were likely to do to me!
I’ve heard about reluctance in using hormonal treatments in prepubescent boys; things like sealing growth plates in bones. I’m 3 to 4.5 inches shorter than my three brothers. I cannot grow a full beard. All three of them can. They bulked up fairly well during puberty, I remained quite skinny. They did not begin obvious signs of puberty until 12 or 13. I was able to produce sperm within a few months of turning eleven.
I don’t know the full measure of what these shots did to me, but my life was so messed up from there on, I’d like to know.
Can you help me please?