My BF has undescended testicles.

[katiebug]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but figured it was sort of a "sexual disorder" so here goes.

My BF was born with undescended testicles. He had surgery as a child to correct this, and has two scars leftover that are symmetrical on each side of his pubic mound. After the surgery, only one of his testicles fully descended, and the other is sort of still suspended. I can't even really explain it. His scrotum looks very assymetrical and his undescended testicle is there but you have to search for it, it almost feels as if it is lodged partially inside of his body. I can hold his normal testicle cupped in my hand and feel all the way around it with my fingers, but the one that is not descended just feels like a bump attached to his body inside of his scrotum, that does not move.

He doesn't seem to be overly worried about it, but when I first found this out about him I was kind of worried. I read online that people who have/had undescended testicles are more susceptible to cancer. Also, I really love him and we are talking marraige and everything, and I can't help but wonder if that will affect his fertility and our future ability to have children. I've kind of suggested my concerns and asked him if he ever sees the doctor about it, but he says he doesn't and doesn't want to.

I guess I'm just curious for my own education and for some opinions about whether I should make a bigger deal about it than I have been. He mentioned that he has always "meant to" go back to the doctor to have the undescended one checked out and fixed, but never gets around to it. I'm sure he's scared - I don't know what the procedure would be to fix it, but I'm sure it doesn't feel too great. What are your thoughts?

[rata]

If it doesn't decend it could become cancerous.

[batman527]

I'm pretty sure if the situation (undescended testicle) were serious enough to require surgery as an infant, it would be even more important now. The whole reason that the scrotum exists is to remove the testicles from the interior of the abdomen, where the temperature is too hot for sperm to survive. Moving the testicles into the scrotum allows them to be a bit cooler, and protects the sperm from "baking". In this sense, the undescended testicle could lower the number of live sperm per ejaculation, and therefore reduce his fertility. I would try to send him to the doctor if I were you.

However, if he's been having regular physical examinations with a doctor, this would be something I'm sure they'd have discovered during the portion of the exam where they check your testes, etc. Maybe he hasn't had an exam in a while, or maybe the doctor just doesn't feel that the situation needs to be remedied, but I doubt it...

[Brandye]

I could swear I responded to this last night. Hmm.

Statistically, men with undescended or patially descended testicles have a slightly higher incidence of testicular cancer. There is question whether or not the one testicle would fertile - producing sperm.

There is not a huge need for concern but he should be getting ti checked at his annual physical. It should still be correctable but may never produce sperm. If parentage is a ever an issue, a sperm count would be a good idea before trying to get pregnant. If such a new patient showed up in my surgery, a sperm count would be high on my list of tests.

[katiebug]

Thanks for the replies.

I never really pushed the issue because I figured it was his body and he knew more about what he was doing than I did. He was also really embarassed when I noticed it and began to ask him questions about it and didn't seem to really like talking about it. So, it's been sort of a delicate issue that I didn't want to bring up too much.

We've been together for 10 months so I don't know much about his medical history, but I do know that he doesn't go to get regular physicals at the doctor. He's 25 and doesn't have any health insurance, and I think like most young people (myself included) just doesn't go to the doctor unless he's sick or something is wrong. Getting a yearly physical just because "you are supposed to" is a foriegn concept. Especially when visiting the doctor is expensive as someone who is uninsured.

I don't really know what to do to get him to go to the doctor and get it checked out. It does worry me sometimes. I know it's probably not an immediate threat but I can't help but have a foreboding fear that something bad might happen later if he doesn't get it checked out now.

[Brandye]

No sperm count, no marriage. Other than that, I have no ideas. Even the Queen's consort had to do that although it is not talked about.

[batman527]

Let me urge you to urge him to get health insurance. I know it's expensive, but he needs something, anything. Especially if he does have something wrong. I think undescended testies would fall into that category. Who knows what else could happen. Would it be better to have to pay for all the medical expenses out of pocket that will probably arise from this situation, or to get some insurance? Just a thought.

[katiebug]

I agree with you and have tried to get him to look into it but you know, words are words. He has a job lined up for when he finishes graduate school a year from now and once he starts working for them full time they will provide him with insurance. For the next year though, I guess he intends to just play his luck and hope nothing happens.