# undescended testicle. UPDATED 12/22



## babygrant (Mar 10, 2005)

Has anyones child had an undescended testicle. My 6 week old does. Ped says if it doesn't drop by 9 months he'll start making arrangements for surgury. Anyone have any input on this?

I posted this on the life with babe board and was told to post it on here as well because i was told sometimes they perform circ's and they pull the foreskin back to insert a catheter and I do NOT want either of those done so I'm wondering how I would deal with that. I know with the circ I will just say DO NOT DO IT. But with the retraction issue...I won't be in the OR so how do I make sure it's not done?


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## InDaPhunk (Jun 24, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *babygrant*
i was told sometimes they perform circ's and they pull the foreskin back to insert a catheter and I do NOT want either of those done so I'm wondering how I would deal with that.









:

Make everyone involved signs an intact care agreement. I'm naking or I'd input more but I'm sure someone will be along to give you tons of info. You prolly need to have all this info just for routine medical care anyway as they loooove to mess with foreskins, it seems. I still have no clue what they'er looking for under there. A pot of gold, perhaps?

Hopefully, DS won't have to have surgery so it won't be an issue







.


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## InDaPhunk (Jun 24, 2005)

BTW, I think i heard the undropped testicle thing is pretty common and mostly resolves itself (?). I could be worng, though, it's been known to happen.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

Hi there, something that is very important is to get the dr to sign a no circ agreement soemone here can give u a link for one to print out. Also u need to make sure that u ? the dr on how they will do things ie the cathiter because they may not know how to deal with it. If u ask them if they know how to do cath with intact infant and they say yes. They may not really know. So ask them to describe exactly what they do. If they retract or not. The answer of course should be no. I am sure u will get good advice here. Many experts







on this board. Good Luck


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## Frankly Speaking (May 24, 2002)

You may be able to resolve the undescended testicle.

Some males have a testicle that can move up under the pubic fat mound, I know this well because mine will do that. There is a cavity above the penis and to each side of the penis where the testicle can retract. The solution can be very simple. With two fingers, start at the top of the pubic mound and gently massage downward past the penis on the side of the undescended testicle. Continue massaging downward to the scrotum. Sometimes the testicle will appear in the scrotum. We've had success with this method a couple of times before with mothers in this forum.

If that doesn't work and the surgery has to be performed, there are a couple of ways to avoid an internal catheter. The first is simply "bagging" him. A plastic bag can be taped on the penis to collect urine during the procedure. The other way is to use a male external catheter. These look like a condom with a tube coming out the end. It is placed on the penis and taped in place. This is something you will need to discuss with your pediatrician or urologist, which ever one will be doing the surgery. You need to discuss it at least a couple of weeks ahead of time just in case these are not kept in stock at the hospital.

You also need to give them fair warning that you can recognize the symptoms of forcible retraction (redness, swelling, stretch tears or blood) and will take appropriate legal action if these symptoms are present post surgery. That should take care of that.

Frank


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## babygrant (Mar 10, 2005)

Thanks so much for the replies. All VERY helpfull.

Frank. I notice that the left side which is the undescended side...it does look like there is a testicle in there...but it's not as low as the other one. So if it was an undescended testicle, the left side would just be empty right?

Also, I will not be able to meet with the doctor who will perform the surgery until surgery day. We will need to drive 7 hours to Vancouver BC to have the surgery done at BC Childrens Hospital. So the first time I meet the doctor would be the day it's done.

I am going to show my husband this page because he is on the same boat as me. Thanks again for the help.

Angela


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## +stella+ (Apr 17, 2005)

Hi momma, I am in the same boat kinda. My son is still missing his right testicle, they say it is there but it hasnt moved down at all and he is now 15 months old. I missed his 1 year check but we go tomorrow for his 15 month, mostly for this reason alone. I know it needs taken care of but I am ABSOLUTELY dreading surgery. I go back and forth on how neccessary I really feel this is and how long is too long to wait, but I know I dont want to cause him fertility problems or possible testicular cancer by waiting to long either.

I am just like you in worrying about the retraction, my plan right now is to demand to be with him pre op when they insert a cath if he needs one, so i KNOW with my eyes they dont retract, and signing the no circ thing sounds like an excellent idea as well. My hospital doenst perform circs on neonates so.. I dont know, I am worried sick as well and just wanted to comiserate. I plan on having a LONG talk to the doc/surgeon as well, and if I feel like hes putting me off or is uncaring or rubs me the wrong way, hes gone, Ill pay for this **** out of pocket if I need to, I am NOT putting up with doctors who will talk above me or act like I should sit quietly and obey.

Gosh I have such a bad attitude already huh? Its sad, I just hope I find a doc that I can trust.

But for now, I wouldnt worry at this young age, his may come down on its own and I really hope it does for you. Youre a great momma for wanting to be prepared already.


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## Quirky (Jun 18, 2002)

I know there have been threads on this before at MDC - I remember a discussion as to whether and when to perform surgery to correct the undescended testicle. Is there a reason it has to be done sooner rather than later? If it were me, I'd be inclined to wait until my son were older - fewer risks during anesthesia because of size, better communication about pain afterwards, better ability to understand what is going on, more time to let it resolve on its own.

My vague recollection is that the reason docs want to fix this is a) cosmetic and b) because of the risk that the undescended testicle may become cancerous later on. Both of these don't mandate surgery sooner rather than later IMO - but I haven't researched it so I don't know if there's something I'm missing.


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## paminmi (Jan 31, 2005)

Please check out my message to another mom on this topic...some info that could be of use to you. Good luck!

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...86#post2666586


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## nd_deadhead (Sep 22, 2005)

My son was born with one undescended testicle. We were told that if it didn't come down on its own by the time he was a year old, we would talk about surgery. Turns out he had an inguinal hernia on the same side, and had an operation to correct that at 9 months. After that two things could have happened: the hernia repair could have made room for the testicle to descend, or scar tissue from the operation could prevent the testicle from coming down - we just had to wait and see. The testicle never did come down by itself, and my son had surgery at 15 months.

This all happened 10 years ago, and at the time it didn't occur to me to worry about circumcision or retraction. As far as I know, no one messed with my son's foreskin during any of his operations (he had a hernia repair on the other side when he was 3). But knowing what I know now, I would certainly bring it up with the surgeon.

My older brother had two undescended testicles, and didn't have surgery for it until he was 4 years old. He ended up being sterile - though of course it's impossible to know if it was because of the delayed operation or not.


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## pjlioness (Nov 29, 2001)

Ds2 had an undescended testicle for a while. He was born at home and did not have much more than a cursory exam at birth, so I was the first one to notice it. When we went to the Dr. (GP - does homebirth and family care), he found it. I thought it was cool that I had known what it was first. The Dr. was totally unconcerned. I think it descended after a couple of weeks or so...I really don't remember.


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## Dragonfly (Nov 27, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Quirky*
Is there a reason it has to be done sooner rather than later? If it were me, I'd be inclined to wait until my son were older - fewer risks during anesthesia because of size, better communication about pain afterwards, better ability to understand what is going on, more time to let it resolve on its own.

The main reason is potential sterility. The longer the testicle is up in the body cavity, the more likely it is to "die" from the body heat. My son had the surgery shortly after he turned 3 and it's probable that that testicle will always be smaller and non-functional (It definitely seems as though it's not growing. I'm still bothered by that. I wish we'd been able to get an accurate diagnosis sooner.)

The other reason is that undescended testicles are often accompanied by hernias, which are important to repair in order to avoid potentially dangerous complications.

It's pretty common for babies to have one or both testicles not be retracted at birth and come down on their own, so surgery very early is definitely not the way to go. It sounds like the OP's doctor is taking a wait and see approach, though, which is good.

I believe what Frank is referring to is a retractile testicle. This is where you can actually manually draw the testicle down into the scrotum.

About the catheter: My son didn't have one. As it was explained to me, they're not allowed to drink for 8 hours (I think?) before the surgery, so there's no need for one.


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## Frankly Speaking (May 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *babygrant*
Frank. I notice that the left side which is the undescended side...it does look like there is a testicle in there...but it's not as low as the other one. So if it was an undescended testicle, the left side would just be empty right?

No. During gestation, a boys testicles develop in the abdomen. Shortly before birth, they should descend down from this cavity into the scrotum. Undescended testicle just means the testicle hasn't descended into the scrotum. That lump or fullness you see is the testicle in the cavity. Since you can see where it is, try helping to descend by starting above what you can see and try gently massaging it down into the scrotum. It just may work.

Now, if it does work and if it dissapears again, you know that it can descend and that your son has retractile testicles and there is no problem with that. There is no medical intervention needed for retractile testicles.

Frank


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## LeosMama (Sep 6, 2005)

This is interesting, so having retractile testicles up in the body for long periods of time won't cause sterility? how is this different from undescended testicles? in both situations, they are in the abdomen and are warm rather than cool.


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## Frankly Speaking (May 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LeosMama*
This is interesting, so having retractile testicles up in the body for long periods of time won't cause sterility?

Apparently not. Mine move up and down freely and I think that may be germane. If I go swimming in cold water, they most likely will be in their hidey places or if I'm wearing tight pants or have my legs crossed. But a few minutes later, they come back down. I suspect that the longest they are retracted are maybe an hour or two but I've never paid much attention to it.

Quote:

how is this different from undescended testicles? in both situations, they are in the abdomen and are warm rather than cool.
Undescended testicles are retracted all of the time. My best guess that in those, there is some diminished blood flow or testosterone is not able to get in or out and that is what causes sterility or cancer. The problem is I have never read anything that addresses this so I really just don't know.

Frank


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## shannajoy (Dec 19, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Frankly Speaking*
Apparently not. Mine move up and down freely and I think that may be germane. If I go swimming in cold water, they most likely will be in their hidey places or if I'm wearing tight pants or have my legs crossed. But a few minutes later, they come back down. I suspect that the longest they are retracted are maybe an hour or two but I've never paid much attention to it.

"Hidey places"?! That made me laugh out loud!  Thank you Frank, for your point of view on this. Those of us without testicles don't necessarily know these things.









My son had an undescended testicle at birth too. Seems like it has come down most of the way, but not far enough. He's scheduled for surgery on January 6th, to pull down the testicle on one side and drain fluid and check for a hernia on the other side. I hadn't even thought about retracting his foreskin to insert a cathedar, I'll have to ask about that in the pre-op review the day before the surgery. I know we'll get to be there when he goes under, and the operation will take about an hour. It is scary, but he'll be almost 14 months old and from what I've seen, if they aren't descended by about a year, they aren't likely to come down on their own. Cosmetically he'll look more "balanced" and hopefully the not-completely-descended testicle will grown normally, but I'm most concerned about his fertility.


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## SagMom (Jan 15, 2002)

One of my sons has a retractile testicle.

We were told by one doc that it was undescended and would need surgery--That night (in the warm bathtub,) I found that both sides were down, so rather than seeing a surgeon, we saw another ped. He explained retractile testicle exactly as Frank did, and told us this was what was happening in our son--he said it would not effect sperm production and that no intervention was needed.

He also said that with a true undescended testicle, only the effected side would not produce sperm--so the male would not be sterile, he'd still produce viable sperm on the other side. The ped also told us that it did not make cancer more of a risk, but that IF the male had cancer, it would be more difficult to detect in an undescended testicle. (Some things to weigh against the risks and sucess rates of surgery.)


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## Dragonfly (Nov 27, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Joan*
He also said that with a true undescended testicle, only the effected side would not produce sperm--so the male would not be sterile, he'd still produce viable sperm on the other side.









I should have made this clear in my post. Sterility is only a concern for the affected side. Of course, it's always better to have 2 working testicles than 1 in case something later happens to the 1 that works.

Quote:

The ped also told us that it did not make cancer more of a risk, but that IF the male had cancer, it would be more difficult to detect in an undescended testicle. (Some things to weigh against the risks and sucess rates of surgery.)
That's actually contrary to everything I've read. A man is more likely to get cancer in an undescended testicle than in a descended one. Of course, it's not yet certain whether bringing it down surgically actually reduces the chance of getting cancer.


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## Galatea (Jun 28, 2004)

I dated a guy with an undescended testicle. His parents got him surgery when he was 2 and they basically pulled the testicle down and stapled/fixed it into place. It was always high up in his scrotum just below his penis. He said it caused him pain b/c it naturally wanted to move around but was fixed in place and so he felt a pulling tight sensation occasionally, like if he was cold or sometimes sexually excited. It made him sad. Based on his story, he would probably say not to have the surgery. As I am married, though, and not to him, I don't think I could get you any more info.


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

Most children's will move down before 6 months. Don't worry--your son will probably be in that number. My son did have the surgery--at 18 months. I wish we would have done it earlier. My pediatrician thought it was coming down and it just never did. She messed up. It could impact his future fertility in that testicle--hopefully not but we fixed it later than it should have been fixed. They like to do them at 9-12 months because they start to detect cellular changes after that point.
If a child's testicle doesn't come down on it's own he is at a greater risk of cancer in both testicles. That is because it isn't about the testicle being there but rather why it didn't come down in the first place. The why is what increases the cancer risk. They bring it down so that a child who is at greater risk for that cancer can examine his testicles regularly--you can't feel for lumps if it is in your abdomen! I personally know someone with testicular cancer at 20. It is rare but it happens as we know.
So they bring down testicles to save fertility, for the look, and so that cancer (which the child would be at increased risk for) can be detected.
All that to say, though, that chances are your child will not be in this category and his testicle will come down on its own. If it doesn't, I would do the surgery....my son may not like a pulling sensation...but it will have still been the best choice (wish I didn't have it to make and it would have come down on its own).


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## +stella+ (Apr 17, 2005)

pulling sensation? you mean going through surgery or a weird feeling forever down there?

We are probably late to the game but we are finally going to a ped urologist because at 15 months my sons right testicle hasnt moved (if it is even there) And yes, I have read that it can be a genetic thing, as to why it never came down in the first place and testicular cancer can happen in either testicle at a higher rate with children who had one or both undescended at birth.

I wish we didnt have to do any surgery... but we may. I just hope I havent waited too long because I too have read that celluar damage can begin as early as 12 months.

thanks for all the info 

oh, and if he ends up to only have one testicle at all, we absolutely will not be doing an implant to make it look even, unless when he is 18 he wants one. no brainer on that.


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## earthmama369 (Jul 29, 2005)

I haven't done much research about undescended testicles. But I can share "my" experience, in that DH had an undescended testicle, which was surgically removed when he was 2. He is intact and to his knowledge, they didn't do anything to his foreskin during surgery -- he remembers the surgery fairly vividly, but doesn't remember being retracted. He has one testicle and has not had cosmetic surgery to make it look like he has two, and really, it doesn't bother either of us. You can hardly see the scar, he doesn't have any tightness or pain resulting from the surgery, and he is *definitely* fertile.







(Seeing as both times we've gotten pregnant, it's been about 4 months before we were going to seriously TTC. We seem to get pregnant whenever we start to think about "practicing" to TTC.)


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## babygrant (Mar 10, 2005)

Brody had a check up today and it has dropped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never been so excited about a testicle before. LOL. Thanks so much everyone


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

:


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## Dragonfly (Nov 27, 2001)

Wonderful!









One thing: Keep an eye on it. We had 2 practitioners tell us that ds' was fine, even though we both knew something was wrong. At 3, it was firmly wedged in his abdomen - the competent pediatrician that I finally found agreed.


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## InDaPhunk (Jun 24, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *babygrant*
Brody had a check up today and it has dropped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never been so excited about a testicle before. LOL. Thanks so much everyone









Happy Descended Testicle Day !!!!!


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## baybee (Jan 24, 2005)

Good thread. Just wanted to add that you might be wise to "Google"
undesdended testicle, pediatrics
and that will get you into the medical websites.
I can't imagine having to worry about circumcision in addition to this condition.
The original poster was from B.C. where the circ rate is 6% and I don't think circs are even done at Children's Hosp. There is a private circumcisor named Neil Pollock who does all of the unnecessary cutting in the Vancouver area. In the U.S., where the rates are high, there'd be more concern, I guess.


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## pjlioness (Nov 29, 2001)




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## Galatea (Jun 28, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *+stella+*
pulling sensation? you mean going through surgery or a weird feeling forever down there?


Often he had this feeling throughout his life. Maybe it was a bad surgeon or a bad technique. It was 1980. Things may have changed.


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## shannajoy (Dec 19, 2005)

Congratulations! I wish it was the same for us. :-(


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## aisraeltax (Jul 2, 2005)

my son had this surgery and i have tried to explain what that involved (2 surgeries instead of one and you may want to ask your son's urologist about that procedure). but first i wanted to warn you about the medical consent/ etc. many people have been telling you about here.
my son has a bleeding disorder. he also has an increased risk with "normal" anesthesia. both of these issues were very critical when dealing with his surgeries. drs. and anesthesiologists disagreed w/ what was "fact" and not when dealing with them. at one point, i threatened to cancel a surgery b/c the anesthesiologist was disagreeing with me. LOOK OVER EVERY PIECE OF PAPER YOU SIGN! EVERY PIECE OF PAPER WITH YOUR SIGNATURE SHOULD HAVE THE REQUIREMENTS YOU HAVE EXPRESSED TO YOUR DRS/ANESTHESIOLOGISTS!
Oral agreements are not going to do you any good. I had papers pushed in my face that did not state any issues with the bleeding or anesthesia issues. I marked them in bold pen and had the dr/anest. intiial the additions. I am telling you...I had to fight every step of the way, including at 5:30 am on teh date of surgery. That is what started me questioning the medical profession (ds2 had 5 surgeries in his 2nd year).

i havent read all the replies regarding the surgery here, so forgive me if i repeat anything but i saw the title of this thread and wanted to share what i learned.
my son had an undescended testicle (he has Noonan's Syndrome and its a very common thing w/ boys). He had 2 surgeries for this problem when he was 2 (also had other surgeries that are not relevant).
the reason i feel compelled to post is that i have spoken to mothers whose sons have had surgery for undescended testicles and their surgeries have been diffierent, so you may want to check into which method is right for you.
sorry i dont know about the circ. issue b/c ds2 is circ'd.







i didnt know any better at the time.
ds2 had 2 surgeries b/c his urologist felt that he had a better chance of the undescended testicle surviving if the lower blood vessels were given a chance to "take over" before the testicle was pulled down. ds2 ended up having another surgery 3 months later anyway so we were able to combine those 2 later surgeries. i dont know if i can explain this but i will try.
the undescended testicle has 2 sets of blood vessels attached to it. one set from the top; one from the bottom. the urologist at Children's Hosp. in Boston feels that simply cutting the top blood vessels and "descending" the testicle right away is very traumatic for the testicle. so, he chose to cut the top blood vessels and allow the blood vessels from the bottom to take over as the primary source of blood flow. then, 3 months later, the testicle was descended.
whether the surgery is successful or not can not really be determined until he becomes fertile. as far as how it looks, there is a small difference but not a significant one. i imagine that the difference will be more significant when he is older.
good luck and if you have any more questions on what my son went through, feel free to ask!








rach


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## shannajoy (Dec 19, 2005)

Thanks for sharing your experience and advice Rach! I will definitely look at all required paperwork very closely. Alex's testicle is descended just above and kinda next to his scrotum, so he only needs one operation to get it in there (instead of the two just like you described). One and a half weeks to go...we're nervous!


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## aisraeltax (Jul 2, 2005)

hi. not a problem. sorry for the long post. Mikey's testicle was basically where it started (can't remember exactly where at this point..somewhere in the chest area), so it sounds like Alex has a different situation.
good luck with everythign. i know how hard it can be to have your son go into surgery.
one more word of caution..they told us it would only take about 2 hours for the surgery but it was more like 5 hours. it was the only time i had ever been away from him and it was sooo hard.
take a bunch of different stuff w/ you to the hospital. no one thing will keep your attention.
sending good hospital experience vibes.






























hugs
rach


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## maida (Aug 13, 2004)

I just found out my son has undescended testicles and he turned three this past October.

I'm not sure why my previous pediatrician never made the diagnosis.
She was a great doctor, but moved out of state, so I can't ask her why now. Our new pediatrician referred us to the surgeon right away after his three year well check. She didn't make it seem urgent, and now I'm sorry I waited two months to see the surgeon.

With this late diagnosis, I worry about his future fertility.

They don't seem to be in his abdomen, though, they are behind the pubic fat mound most of the time.

In his case, it is both testicles. The doctor can pull them down to the scrotum, but they never seem to be there on their own, not when he is asleep and not when he is in a warm bath.

From what the surgeon told us, males with undescended testicles do have a higher chance of testicular cancer. Surgery doesn't fix that statistic, it just makes it easier to detect.

Interestingly, the surgeon said that there is a remote possibility that going under general anesthesia would cause the testicles to descend on their own (the ultimate relaxed state).

I can't even type about this without getting all weepy. I'm just sick with worry about my little guy going under general anesthesia.

I'll be watching this thread to see how things go for Stella and Shanna's boys.


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## Frankly Speaking (May 24, 2002)

Maida, As I understand it, undescended testicles will not come down at all and what you're describing is retractile testicles. If that is correct, no surgery is needed, this is just one of the variations of normal. I have retractile testicles and they are retracted maybe 30% -40% of the time with no ill effects. It's been that way all of my life.

I would strongly recommend that you research all of the information you can find on these two conditions and I would get a second opinion from a pediatric urologist. Ask for an explanation of why your son has one and not the other. If the urologist's information doesn't jive with what you've learned from your research, go for another opinion until you are satisfied with the information you're getting. At this point, a couple of months isn't going to make any difference and it sounds like maybe surgery won't be necessary or beneficial for your son.

Frank


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## maida (Aug 13, 2004)

Thank you so much for your reply. I researched through the night and also came to the conclusion that I wanted to see a pediatric urologist for another opinion. Thank you for validating/confirming my decision. I can't tell you how much that means to me. My husband and I talked it over this morning, and is completely supportive, as I knew he would be.

I found this page from American Family Physician® journal article which has a lot of information, a dx chart and pictures of physical palpitation as well as of the surgery

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20001101/2037.html

Quote:

Undescended testicles can be categorized on the basis of physical and operative findings: (1) true undescended testicles (including intra-abdominal, peeping at the internal ring and canalicular testes), which exist along the normal path of descent and have a normally inserted gubernaculum; (2) ectopic testicles, which have an abnormal gubernacular insertion; and (3) retractile testicles, which are not truly undescended. The most important category to distinguish on physical examination is the retractile testis, because no hormone or surgical therapy is required for this condition.
It further talks about the actual physical palpitation with photos...

Quote:

A true undescended or ectopic inguinal testicle will be felt to "pop" under the examiner's fingers during this maneuver. A low ectopic or retractile testicle will be felt by the opposite hand as it is "milked" into the scrotum. The ectopic testicle will immediately spring out of the scrotum when it is released. The retractile testicle will remain momentarily in the scrotum until further stimulation causes a cremasteric reflex.

Differentiation of a retractile testis from a true undescended testis is sometimes difficult; consultation with a urologist may be valuable.
I believe now that he may have an ectopic testicles, since the testicles do not stay descended momentarily. While this would still require surgery, I would just like to get confirmation from someone who is not a surgeon.

After looking further into the hormonal treatment, because of his age and the fact that this is most likely ectopic testicles which are physically unable to stay down, this course does not seem likely to succeed.

So, while surgery still seems likely, I feel more informed than I did 24 hours ago.

This has been an interesting experience so far. Because of his age, I felt it was necessary to explain to him that no one should touch his genitals unless it was a doctor with mama and/or dada present, or unless it was his mama and dada. I also told him that I was checking because "the doctor thinks you might need surgery and mama needs to make sure he is right."

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to share what I have experienced so far in my research for any other parents who find themselves in this situation.


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## Frankly Speaking (May 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *maida*
I would just like to get confirmation from someone who is not a surgeon.

Just understand that by definition, a urologist is a surgeon.

Frank


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## maida (Aug 13, 2004)

Main Entry: urol·o·gist
Pronunciation: yu-'rä-l&-jist
Function: noun
: a physician who specializes in the urinary or urogenital tract

At least that's what m-w.com defines one as...


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## shannajoy (Dec 19, 2005)

Just wanted to give a quick update on my little boy. Alex's surgery went well, he had an undescended testicle on his right side (and a small hernia there), and fluid surrounding his descended left testicle (and another hernia on the left too). I wasn't expecting the incisions to be so big. The two on his lower abdomen are probably just over an inch long and the one on his scrotum is maybe half an inch long.

Thank you to everyone for your support and advice! I read through the paperwork and also told everyone involved that his foreskin was not to be retracted for any reason. I'm especially glad I did because one of the older nurses (a very sweet lady) asked me why. I explained that it's still attached (like a finger nail to her finger). She didn't know that. Probably because a lot of boys around here are circed. I'm glad he wasn't catheterized (sp?).

Maida, I hope your experience goes well!

Alex is taking a nap right now, I better get some rest while I can. This may be a loooooong night.


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## LeosMama (Sep 6, 2005)

I'm so glad everything went alright and that they were respectful of his body. And it sounds like a very good thing that you took care of this problem in a timely manner.
Good mothering all around, mama.


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## maida (Aug 13, 2004)

I'm so glad that Alex's surgery went well!









We have an appointment with a pediatric urologist on Jan 19th for a second opinion.

With palpitation, I have been able to guide Zander's testicles down to the scrotum. I try and do it once every day or so. I *think* they are staying down some of the time, but he gets all tickly and giggly about it, so I don't check him as often as I'd like to.

Interestingly, we found out that DH's brother has retractile testicles. I'm not sure if its genetic or not...

I'll let you know what we find out.


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## shannajoy (Dec 19, 2005)

Thank you LeosMama!









Maida, I didn't know testicles were ticklish!







Better than being painful though! I'm curious to find out how the pediatric urologist appt on Jan 19th goes. Even if he does need surgery, he probably wouldn't need as many incisions as Alex. Crossing my fingers for you!


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## maida (Aug 13, 2004)

Shanna, thank you for sharing your experience. How is the recovery going?

Last night when I was changing Zander's diaper,







he told me "Check my tentacles, mom" LOL!









I looked down and could see that his testicles were actually in the scrotum.







I burst into tears, I was so happy about it.







:

The next time we changed him, they were back up, but at least I know that they "reach." So, if he does have to have the surgery, it won't be so severe.







:

Or maybe he won't have to have it at all...









Our follow up appt is on Thursday. Please keep us in your thoughts and send _descending vibes_ our way


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## maida (Aug 13, 2004)

We just got back from the doctor who told us that Zander has RETRACTILE testicles and is perfectly normal and does not require surgery.








:




































I am the happiest mama on the planet right now!

It was the best doctor's appt ever. The ladies in the office were so nice and just doted on the boys while we waited. They got stickers, lollipops and really enjoyed their saltwater tank. They usually don't get very many kids there, being a urological office.

Anyway, the doctor said that since Zander's testicles (or as Zander calls them: tentacles







) go all the way down to the bottom of his scrotum, that he is normal.

It's possible that Zander was just very tense the day of our first appt, which is why the other doctor recommended surgery. I don't fault the other doctor...neither of his testicles were down that day.

Anyway, I'm just happy that my baby is not going under the knife!














:


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## whateverdidiwants (Jan 2, 2003)

Fabulous news!


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## hummingbear (Apr 17, 2003)




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## shannajoy (Dec 19, 2005)

Oh that is great news!!!! I'm so happy you guys don't have to go through this surgery. Alex is almost all healed, the scars are a little pink but there's no more bruising on his scrotum. It's kinda weird to see both testicles in his scrotum now when I change his diaper!  It's great that both of your boys had such a good time at the doctor's office too
!


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## njeb (Sep 10, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *maida*
We just got back from the doctor who told us that Zander has RETRACTILE testicles and is perfectly normal and does not require surgery.








:




































I am the happiest mama on the planet right now!

It was the best doctor's appt ever. The ladies in the office were so nice and just doted on the boys while we waited. They got stickers, lollipops and really enjoyed their saltwater tank. They usually don't get very many kids there, being a urological office.

Anyway, the doctor said that since Zander's testicles (or as Zander calls them: tentacles







) go all the way down to the bottom of his scrotum, that he is normal.

It's possible that Zander was just very tense the day of our first appt, which is why the other doctor recommended surgery. I don't fault the other doctor...neither of his testicles were down that day.

Anyway, I'm just happy that my baby is not going under the knife!














:

What wonderful news!!!














to you and your ds!


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## maida (Aug 13, 2004)

Thank you so much everyone for your well wishes! I am sure you can imagine how thrilled we are!


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## homebirthing (Nov 10, 2002)

I just read through this thread and how nice it is to get instant satisfaction!! I am SO GLAD that you decided to get a second opinion!! YAY for your family!!


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## LadyMarmalade (May 22, 2005)

That's fantastic news! My husband has the same thing. I'm so happy you got a second opinion!!!


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