Contents:
- Medical Video: Orchiopexy to Correct Undescended Testicle
- What is that monorchism?
- Can men with one testicle produce offspring?
- What should be done if your baby is born with one testicle?
Medical Video: Orchiopexy to Correct Undescended Testicle
Testicles are male reproductive organs that function to produce and store sperm, and produce testosterone. Normally, men are born with two testicles. However, there are several conditions that cause a man to have only one testicle from birth or called monorchism.
What is the impact on male fertility? Can men with one testis still have children? Here's the answer.
What is that monorchism?
Monorchism is a condition when men only have one testicle. This condition usually occurs due to a disruption in embryonic development and does not have any symptoms. In addition, there are several other causes, among others.
- One testis does not go down (cryptorchidism) or undescended testicle. This is a condition when only one testis drops into the scrotum. This condition is usually caused by a fetal development disorder. In general this only occurs in one testis, but there are about ten percent of the occurrence of the two testes not falling. This often occurs in premature babies.
- One testicle disappears (testicular vanishing). During embryo and fetal development, problems with testicular development can occur, one of which is the loss of one testicle during development. This condition is called vanishing testis or testicular regression syndrome. This condition is usually undetectable and cannot be treated. The cause is the presence of testicular torsion disease, injury, or hormonal imbalance during pregnancy. Although this cannot be treated, it is important to do further checks to ascertain the condition that occurs.
- Removal of one testicle (orchiectomy). This is a surgical procedure that is performed to remove one or two testicles due to several pathological processes. This surgical procedure can be performed because of the presence of testicular tumors, serious injuries, untreated testicular torsion disease, and prostate cancer. In addition to surgical removal of the testicles, other surgeries can sometimes be done to eliminate the pathological process and save some testicular function as long as it can still be done.
Can men with one testicle produce offspring?
Man with monorchism might be worried about fertility. A study shows that if only one testis does not go down, a person's fertility rate will be 80 percent. If both do not go down, the fertility rate is only 50 percent. This is because the temperature in the stomach is higher than the temperature in the scrotum, so the formation of sperm will be disrupted.
However, as long as the testicles are in good condition, the quality of the sperm produced is still good. So there is no need to worry, the testicles that are held will still function as a reproductive organ that guarantees your fertility and certainly is still able to produce.
What should be done if your baby is born with one testicle?
Normally, the testes begin to develop in the fetal abdominal cavity at 10 weeks' gestation. Increasing gestational age, around 28 to 40 weeks, the testes are expected to enter the inguinal canal, which is the channel that forms the way for the testes to descend from the abdominal cavity to the pubic sac. But in the condition of cryptorchidism, this testicle cannot move towards the scrotum.
The testes should have dropped spontaneously in the first four months of birth. However, if it does not go down too until the baby is six months old, the procedure should be done to reduce the testicles to the scrotum.
Usually, the testicles will come back down after the surgery is done. But in some cases, the surgeon may find that the testicles have not been fully formed or damaged. If so, the surgeon will remove the damaged testicles and will save the healthy testicles to the scrotum so that they can develop normally.
This surgery is important in the first year of the baby's birth to avoid loss of testicular function, keep away from the risk of infertility, and prevent testicular cancer.
