One testicle is missing

Every man has two testicles. The testicles are where sperm is produced and stored. Some people only have one testicle. There are two main reasons for this. One is hidden testicles caused by insufficient growth and development, and the other is the loss of one testicle due to trauma or disease. How much impact will having only one testicle have on men? What is going on when a man suddenly loses one testicle?

There are two testicles in the scrotum, one above and one below. However, they are more mobile. When the external working temperature is low, the scrotum will wrinkle, and the male testicles will move to the perineum.

Under normal circumstances, the testicles of the fetus will descend into the scrotum during the late stage of growth and development in the uterus. However, about 3% of full-term male babies and 30% of premature male babies have cryptic testicles (undescended testicles). Most of these babies will have testicles that descend into the scrotum within a few months after birth, but about 0.8% of male babies still have undescended testicles one year after birth.

Incomplete testicular descent may be related to the following factors: First, the cord that pulls the testicles downward during the fetal period is abnormal or damaged, so the testicles cannot descend from the waist to the scrotum; second, congenital testicular dysplasia, which makes the testicles less sensitive to the response of gonadal hormones and loses the driving force of growth hormone on testicular descent; third, the mother's hypothalamus The pituitary gland releases luteinizing hormone (LHRH), which causes the hypothalamus pituitary gland to metabolize luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). They act on the Legdig cells of the fetal testicles to produce testosterone. During the growth and development of the fetus, if the pregnant mother lacks a certain amount of gonadotropin, it can also affect the driving force of the fetus's testicle descent.

The time of first ejaculation of cryptorchid patients is later than that of normal control subjects, and the incidence of spermatorrhea during adolescence is also lower; their sexual intercourse in old age is also less than that of normal control subjects.

If a boy with cryptorchidism feels a mental burden from frequent examination of his genitals, or if his testicles do not shrink after hormone treatment, it may lead to sexual psychological disorders. The patient's parents may also feel depressed because of the repeated examination of the patient's scrotum and testicles. The doctor must inform the patient's parents of the characteristics of cryptorchidism and its impact on the sexual function of elderly men so that they can have a proper understanding.

Does having only one testicle have any impact?

Male testicles with abnormal locations, especially those located behind the peritoneum, are 20-40 times more likely to develop tumors than normal people. Therefore, parents must pay attention to checking their children's scrotum within 10 months after the birth of their children. If any problems are found, they should go to the hospital for physical examination and treatment in time. Cryptotestis within 1 year old may still descend spontaneously. It can be temporarily observed and treated with medication. If the actual effect is not satisfactory, testicular descent fixation can be performed. There is little practical significance in preserving cryptotestis after 2 years old, and there is a possibility of continued deterioration. In clinical medicine, we often see that due to parental neglect and lack of medical knowledge, children’s occult testis is not discovered until they enter puberty or are ready to get married, which results in some irreparable defects.