How to know if your baby's testicles are normal

Nowadays, many parents are more worried about their children's development. Boys are more concerned about the reproductive system, especially the testicles. If both sides do not descend at birth, then the period of retention in the middle will make parents very worried. In fact, it is best to go to the hospital to check whether the baby's testicles are normal. They will slowly recover with age.

Cryptorchidism refers to the condition in which one or both testicles of a male baby do not descend into the scrotum after birth and remain at any point during their normal descent. That is to say, there are no testicles in the scrotum or there are testicles on only one side, which is commonly known as waist testicles or single testicles. Generally speaking, as the fetus grows and develops, the testicles begin to descend from the retroperitoneal waist and descend into the scrotum in the late fetal period. If they are obstructed during the descent, hidden testicles will form.

Research results show that the chance of developing cryptorchidism is 1-7%, among which unilateral cryptorchidism is more common than bilateral cryptorchidism, especially right-sided cryptorchidism. 25% of cryptorchidism are located in the abdominal cavity, 70% stay in the groin, and about 5% stay above the scrotum or other parts.

Cryptorchidism is caused by abnormal testicular descent. There are many factors that cause abnormal testicular descent, the most common of which are:

1. The gubernaculum that guides the testicles into the scrotum is abnormal or missing, so that the testicles cannot descend from their original position to the scrotum.

2. Congenital testicular dysplasia makes the testicles insensitive to gonadotropin and loses the motivation to descend.

3. The luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone produced by the hypothalamus causes a deficiency in the LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secreted by the pituitary gland, which can also affect the driving force of testicular descent.

Facts have proved that those caused by endocrine factors are mostly bilateral cryptorchidism, while those caused by other factors are mostly unilateral cryptorchidism. Sometimes cryptorchidism may be accompanied by inguinal oblique hernia.

What are the health risks of having undescended testicles?

The impact of hidden testicles on physical health is manifested in two aspects:

First, cryptorchidism will affect the growth and development of the testicles, leading to spermatogenesis dysfunction and causing infertility.

Secondly, cryptorchidism can greatly increase the chance of testicular malignancy, also known as testicular cancer. Data show that the chance of testicular cancer in cryptorchid patients is 40 times that of normal people. Therefore, whether from the perspective of fertility or health, cryptorchidism patients need timely treatment.

Why does cryptorchidism affect fertility?

Why does cryptorchidism affect fertility? Yuan Weiqing, director of the Infertility Center of Minquan County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Shangqiu City, Henan Province, said that the testicles are the place where human sperm is produced, and the testicles are sensitive to temperature. The suitable temperature for testicular sperm production is 32-36 degrees C, which is 2-4 degrees lower than the normal body temperature. The scrotum is located at the lowest end of the body, its skin has many wrinkles and strong heat dissipation ability, which is the most suitable place for the growth and development of testicular sperm. If the testicles cannot reach the scrotum for various reasons and stay in other parts, the temperature and biochemical environment of these parts are not conducive to the growth and development of the testicles, which will cause the testicles to be underdeveloped or not developed at all, and they cannot play the spermatogenic function and cause infertility.