Male Infertility A child of my own - Andrology Australia

APPENDICESUNDESCENDED TESTESRemember to tellyour doctor if youhave had hormonetreatment or hadsurgery as a babyto move your testesinto your scrotumWhat is an undescended testis?Before birth the testes develop in the abdomen(where they develop before birth) and thendescend (drop down) into the scrotum at orshortly after birth. In a condition known asundescended testes (cryptorchidism), the testesof some boys remain in their abdominal cavity orgroin after birth. As the testes normally descend inthe eighth month of pregnancy, about one in threepremature baby boys have undescended testes.About three in every 100 full-term baby boys canalso have this problem.In most boys born with undescended testes, thetestes drop naturally into the scrotum before theyare six months old. About one in every 100 boyswill need an operation (orchidopexy) to bring thetestes down into the scrotum when the child isbetween six and twelve months of age.Why do undescended testes at birth causelater fertility problems?Testes need to be kept cool to produce sperm. Thetemperature in the scrotum is usually a few degreeslower than normal body temperature. It is believedthat the warmer temperature in the abdomendamages the sperm-producing tubes in the testes.The longer the testes spend in the abdomen, thegreater the effect on sperm production.MALE INFERTILITY 70