This is either because it didn't develop properly or it twisted and withered away early in life. In cases where the testicle is in the abdomen (impalpable), there's a small possibility that there's no testicle at all on that side. This involves passing a laparoscope (a small tube containing a light source and a camera) through a small incision in your child's abdomen.Ī testicle found inside the abdomen can occasionally be brought down to the scrotum in a single operation, but sometimes this has to be done in 2 separate stages. If the testicle is thought to be higher in the tummy (abdomen), a type of keyhole surgery known as a laparoscopy is sometimes carried out to locate it before it's repositioned. The testicle is then moved downwards and repositioned in the scrotum through a second incision. This involves first making a cut (incision) in the groin to locate the undescended testicle.

In most cases, if the testicle can be felt in the groin, a simple orchidopexy can be performed. This is because waiting longer than this may increase a boy's risk of developing fertility problems or testicular cancer later in life.

The operation should ideally be carried out before your child's 12 months old. In this case, a surgical procedure called an orchidopexy will be recommended to reposition one or both testicles. If the testicles don't descend by 6 months, it's very unlikely they will without treatment. Undescended testicles will usually move down into the scrotum naturally by the time your child is 3 to 6 months old.

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