What is an undescended testis?
In boys, the testes (testicles) begin their development in the abdomen (tummy). Whilst the baby is growing and developing in his mother’s womb, the testes gradually travel down in to the scrotum (testes’ sack). This usually happens towards the end of the pregnancy. At birth, most boys have two testes in the scrotum. However, in some babies, one or both of the testes cannot be felt in the scrotum. The testis will then be ‘undescended’. This is also known as cryptorchidism. The testis is usually ‘stuck’ somewhere in the lower abdomen. Usually only one of the testes is affected, but on rare occasions, both testes fail to travel to the scrotum. An undescended testis is more common in premature babies, affecting around one in four premature babies. Around one in 20 male babies born at term (born at the normal time) are born with an undescended testis. Many of these will become descended in time. However, for around one in 70 cases, the testis remains undescended after the child is one year
