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Children's health

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Original poster

Undescended Testicles in 12 yr old

26 replies

Verbena37 · 28/06/2017 09:16

Hi,
After worrying about I think for a few weeks, I took DS (12yrs) to the GPs today and discovered I was right.

He has both testicles undescended.
The Gp thinks they've retracted back up into his groin (where he could feel them, near his hip bones) as I said that when he was checked as a baby, after birth, the paed said they were there.

Anyway, GP says he will need an op to bring them down.

Just wondering how common this is for this age child as I know it's not good health-wise to have them undescended for this long.
Have any of you had children who have had the op as an older child and if yes, how was it post-op for them?

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Original poster

Verbena37 · 28/06/2017 09:16

worrying about it, not I think

OP posts:

Elizabethlovejoy · 28/06/2017 09:19

Yes my son had this done when he was 9
He is 33 now and healthy
Recovery was quick I think he had a week off school altogether
There are health risks if you don't proceed with the operation
Good luck I am sure he will be fine

MerryMarigold · 28/06/2017 09:21

How would you know if they are undescended?

Original poster

Verbena37 · 28/06/2017 09:22

Ah thank you for your reply.
I'm so worried it will have affected ds' fertility.

OP posts:

Original poster

Verbena37 · 28/06/2017 09:25

The scrotum is empty....just wrinkly.
Nothing obvious hangs down into it.
We just assumed, his testicles were very small but the other week I noticed when he was in the bath (when they'd normally get warmer and hang lower) that there looked as though there is still nothing there.

He let me check and I couldn't feel anything. He has ASD by the way ....hence why I'm still helping him bathe age 12....just in case you thought it was strange .

OP posts:

PhilODox · 28/06/2017 09:36

May I ask what level of understanding he has? My son was almost 4 when he had the operation, and unfortunately he hadn't understood that the keyhole surgery was going to hurt him. It was a very tough time for us. He got over it, but post-op on the day wasn't fun.
The swelling, pain went quickly for him, but physically he was smaller of course (and he has a high pain threshold too- my DD has AS, and has no pain threshold whatsoever).
The staff were fab though- they will explain and answer any questions he has.

Original poster

Verbena37 · 28/06/2017 09:42

He has high functioning ASD (whatever high functioning is)!
So he understands exactly what it is. He is just excited that when he comes round from the GA, he wants me to film him to see if he says anything funny. Apparently it's a thing on YouTube...people waking from anaesthesia and saying funny stuff.

He doesn't have a great pain threshold though....any little unknown bump or pain, he wants to go to hospital!

He has resolved epilepsy though so used to going into hospital and having tests and bloods taken etc.

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PhilODox · 28/06/2017 10:08

Then definitely start laying the ground now for the prospect that it will hurt, but they will give him good painkillers to help.
You'll need to focus for him on how important it is to have the procedure, he will also need to be taught how to check himself after he's healed- undescended testes can lead to higher malignancy rates once through puberty, so it's important he checks himself regularly (like once a month, not daily!) afterwards. Is his father involved? It might be easier coming from him

MerryMarigold · 28/06/2017 22:36

Thanks. Will have a check of my ds, or get dh too. He's just got to the stage of being weird with me (11 nearly 12).

bobblewobble · 29/06/2017 11:24

My son had the operation at age 7, nearly 2 years ago. We had the choice of an injection in his back while under general anaesthetic or morphine for pain relief. We chose the injection, as we were advised it was best.

We were warned the testicles could be dead but they were fine and stitched into place. We only found out because he kept getting pain. He has one cut which is barely visible now, the other testicle was found easier so didn't need the other side cut.

He went home the same evening and didn't get prescribed any other medication other than regular ibuprofen and paracetamol.

Original poster

Verbena37 · 29/06/2017 15:16

Gosh bobblewobble how scary to have to face the possibility of them being dead or damaged. I'm really worried, having read up a bit on it last night, that he may have fertility issues and be at higher risk of testicular cancer when he is older.

I blame myself but I just didn't realise they weren't there and to be honest, I think they perhaps go up and down. We think one came down a bit last night but only for a minute then went up again.
More stress he doesn't need!

OP posts:

bobblewobble · 29/06/2017 19:52

The worry about them being damaged was due to the bouts of pain he had been in. He had his surgery 9 days after seeing a consultant to they were really quick. They could see that they looked healthy when they stitched them. We too obviously won't know if there are any long term issues until he tries for a baby. Do you know when surgery is?

Original poster

Verbena37 · 29/06/2017 21:36

Ah ok I see.
I booked the consultant appointment for 1st August as that's the earliest they've got. Not sure how long it will be after that.

DH felt really bad that we hadn't really noticed properly before now. I said it wasn't our fault and that as soon I did notice, I've done something so we shouldn't blame ourselves I guess.

OP posts:

PhilODox · 30/06/2017 08:59

Please don't blame yourself- how would you know? Adult men have different physiology from little boys. We were very cross though, as we had taken DS to the doctors several times when he had been examined, including once with bruising to his scrotum (nursery accident) when the gp (actually a paed doing locum work) had missed the fact that his testes were retracted!

bobblewobble · 30/06/2017 10:19

It's not your fault. It happens. There were 4 children including my son having the same operation on the same day. My son was the oldest.

His testicles had been checked before and were descended at birth. The first time we knew of a problem he was sent to the hospital where they had surgeons waiting for him as they believed he had a testicle torsion. The testicle had come back down by the time we got there. He was referred to a consultant who he saw around 2 months later. Surgery was booked for 9 days later.

At that time one of his testicles was down, no issue. By the time he saw the consultant both were up and unable to find either. During surgery, they could find one testicle without making an incision but could not find the other. Testicles do go up and down, especially due to temperature.

Original poster

Verbena37 · 06/08/2017 14:28

So we went to the appointment and saw the urologist consultant. He said they are retractile testicles and won't operate now but will assess again next year.

He said they will have been going up and down freely but didn't really seem to listen when I said they don't......they're mostly always up.
Oh well. Will have to go with what he has said and refer back if they become painful.

OP posts:

VivienneWestwoodsKnickers · 06/08/2017 14:33

Regarding fertility, my DP had this as a child and they operated ages 2 and 4 and again at 7. He has nil viable sperm, which we didn't find out until he was 37 and we had been TTC for 2 years. The surgeries were far too late for him as his testicles were high in his abdomen.

I don't know what difference retracrible testicles makes, but definitely question the fertility effects.

Original poster

Verbena37 · 07/08/2017 17:28

Oh gosh Vivienne I'm so sorry to hear that.
The difference between truly undescended and retractile is that retractile have originally been down and go back up from time to time.
However, ds' seem to have been up for the majority of the time.
The whole fertility thing is because they need to be down to be cool for optimal sperm production so being up more often than down, I'd have thought also still makes a difference.

TBH, I'm thinking about getting a second opinion.

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sarahsarahw · 11/08/2017 16:20

@Verbena37 I'd recommend a second opinion, if only to put your mind at rest.

The line between a retractile testicle and an acquired undescended testicle can be very fine. If it can be brought into the scrotum often even the best consultant cannot tell until the boy has been taken into the operating theatre and given a general anaesthetic, as complete relaxation of the cremasteric muscle by general anaesthesia and/or muscular relaxants is helpful in determining a retractile from an undescended testis.

The Dutch have been doing research into how many testicles spontaneously reascend, and evidence suggest that many acquired UDTs
will descend spontaneously at puberty, with testicular volumes appropriate for their age.

Will your DS let you try and bring down the testicles into his scrotum yourself? undescendedtesticles.wordpress.com/treatments/ is a useful link.

Happy to chat if helpful x

Deedee123456 · 20/11/2019 23:15

Hi, my 16 year old just told us he thinks he only has 1 testicle. He says he has a lump in his groin that moves a lot that has been there 6-8 months and he believes this could be it. I took him the doctors who said that can only happen in babies, and the moving lump will likely be a lynphnode and checked, on checking she confirmed she could only feel one testicle and the lump moves slightly more than a lymphnode and could well be his testicle and is sending him for a ultrasound and says then we can come up with a plan.

I’ve been worried sick since, I was never told ever he has undecended testicle as a baby, how could we miss this up to 16 years of age, he doesn’t know how long he’s know thinks it’s been 6-8 months but thought with puberty it would appear. Could it be possible 6-8 months ago it went into his groin?

I can’t find anything of his age on the internet does anyone have any advise please? Thanks so much

BabyST · 22/11/2019 19:35

@Deedee123456 Might be worth start a new threat for this? I'm following as my sons 11,13,20 have had and still ongoing have a lot of issues with that department xx happy to chat if your concerned

Forgossake · 25/11/2019 13:57

I have just got back from the consultants with my 10 year old. We recently realised that only one of his one testicles can be found.
The consultant also could not find it so he is going to have a Ochidopexy to try and locate the undescended testicle, possible try to relocate it. He made need to have a camera inserted through his belly button.

The doctor picked up that one was undescended at his six week check when he was a baby but said that it was common and usually would descend at some point soon. I’m sure this was later checked again and we told it was ok, but I can’t find any record of that in his red book.

I feel sick with guilt that I should have been checking his testicles throughout childhood. When he was in nappies, everything looked fine to me...he is my third son and nothing looked different from the others. Poor thing, he’s being so brave about it but I feel like it’s my fault for missing this and not sorting it when he was little.

CKing728 · 15/01/2020 13:02

Just curious about these studies, what are UDT’s?

CKing728 · 15/01/2020 13:04

@sarahsarahw

K1mbers · 07/01/2021 17:07

Hi @Deedee123456 just wondering did you get your son sorted in the end.. Was your sons testicle OK? My son is 14 and has just opened up to me about the same thing. I'm worried sick as we don't know how long it's been that way. And worried about the surgery. Any advice appreciated

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