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Children's health

Please can somebody talk to me about undescended testicles?

18 replies

GwarchodwrPlant · 23/09/2009 19:11

DS is 12mths old and until recently I didn't think there was anything unusual about his boys bits. It was only when I changed his younger cousins nappy that I was able to tell a huge difference in their testicles.

I raised this with the HV today and after an examination she said she could see what I meant and that she could just about feel one testicle.

She said that I should make an appointment with the GP as they need to be seen before the age of 2yrs otherwise it could affect his fertility if they remain undescended after that.

I'm naturally really worried and annoyed too that it wasn't picked up before. If I hadn't had the opportunity to see my nephews testes then would my poor son have gone undiagnosed with this condition?

What will happen next? What are the chances of this affecting him badly? Is it something that corrects itself eventually?

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spongebrainmaternitypants · 23/09/2009 19:19

That is very poor that it wasn't picked up earlier - my DS was checked at 6 wks. Please get your GP to refer you asap and don't wait for it to self correct.

Think he will need some minor surgery to sort this out, but it can affect fertility so can't be left.

Would be worth asking why it wasn't picked up before too.

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GwarchodwrPlant · 24/09/2009 11:36

Thanks for the reply Spongebrain- we went to see the GP this morning and thankfully it turns out he just has 'retractable' testes. A huge sigh of relief as I was not looking forward to what was to come if it turned out he had the other.

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mehdismummy · 24/09/2009 11:51

my ds undescended testes was picked up at 6 weeks and asked the gp to refer us to specialist, he had the op at uclh at 18 months and the op was easy and you can hardly tell the difference tbh

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spongebrainmaternitypants · 24/09/2009 11:54

That is such a relief - my friend has gone through years of heartbreaking IVF due to her husband's infertility cos of his undescended testes not being operated on til he was eleven .

I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

So glad to hear this wasn't your DS's problem .

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Sagacious · 24/09/2009 11:59

dh had the operation when he was about 10

TBH I think they did tend to leave it a lot later 20 -30 years ago.

Weirdly ds had the same thing (operated on at 23 months) and have found out that FIL had exactly the same.

So odd genetic link.

about your friends dh .

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mehdismummy · 24/09/2009 12:10

its easy to talk about now but i was bricking it when he had the operation!

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Prunerz · 24/09/2009 12:12

That's what happened to us, spongebrainmaternitypants, dh was 9 or something.
They just didn't know the effect of it in the 70s, I don't think.

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weebump · 03/10/2009 17:29

My 2 brothers had it and were operated on in the late 70s aged 10 and 14. The younger one has had 3 kids, the older one hasn't, but I'm not aware of any fertility issues.

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helpYOUiWILL · 18/10/2009 20:54

my eldest ds had "high riding" testicle and had it fixed into place because he went on to have problems relating to it. My ds2 had an undecended and also had it fixed down. Both had hernia repairs on the same side at the same time as that also occurs with undecended "bits".

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ABetaDad · 18/10/2009 21:00

Agree with weebump. I think people tend to worry about this far too early. Testicles can descend later on and as long as it is before puberty and are fine. If it carries on after 11 then yes they may need an operation.

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helpYOUiWILL · 19/10/2009 20:31

actually they have to be fixed down before the age of 2 years because of the risk of infertility (as was previously stated). Eleven would be too late. It can be a genetic problem as it runs in my hubbys family - as does testicular cancer - which is another reason that it is vital to get them in the right place before the age of two.

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Fivesetsofschoolfees · 19/10/2009 20:41

My DS was diagnosed at about 6 weeks, having been missed by the hospital paed.

We immediately saw a surgeon, who told us to come back once DS was 2.

He had his op at 26 months. It was very straightforward and the recovery was quick. The only pain relief was Calpol.

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FourArms · 19/10/2009 21:20

DS1 was diagnosed at around 1 I think, having been signed off as OK by the GP and HV. He's since had three ops, but his testicles are still retractile, and not in the scrotum. DS2 also has retractile testes, but they sat a bit lower initially, so hasn't had any ops. Can't wait for the day they're naturally in place!

DS1 had his op background put on the NHS website - not our real names!

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Fivesetsofschoolfees · 20/10/2009 19:44

FourArms,

When my DS had his done, they put a stitched them into the scrotum to keep them there!

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helpYOUiWILL · 20/10/2009 20:59

orchidapexy is the medical name for the operation that involves fixing the testicles into the scrotum by putting a disolvable stitch insitu

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Fivesetsofschoolfees · 20/10/2009 22:16

Yes, my son had a bilateral orchidopexy.

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FourArms · 21/10/2009 09:27

DS1 had the stitches

He hasn't had a bilateral op (has had three ops, one testicle once, and one twice) as the surgeon felt that the risk was too great if he got an infection which could result in both testicles dying at once.

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helpYOUiWILL · 21/10/2009 20:41

it is safer to have it done though because if they are moving about alot they are at risk of twisting and cutting off their blood supply - which would result in them having to be removed completly.

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