Many people believe that reproductive system diseases must be caused by unhealthy lifestyle habits or other reasons, and even give some unfortunate patients a different perspective. But in fact, there are many types of infertility that are not acquired, but are already inherent in such deformities. For some women, some have congenital vaginal or uterine malformations, while men also have congenital malformations such as cryptorchidism. Some male friends have not even discovered that they have cryptorchidism, so does cryptorchidism affect fertility? Can I have children after surgery?

1、 Etiology of cryptorchidism

In clinical practice, the vast majority of cryptorchidism is oligospermia. Ectopic testicles are most commonly located in the shallow pit of the groin. 80% of the cryptorchidism can be touched, 20% cannot be touched, about 20% cannot be touched due to testicular loss, and 30% is testicular atrophy. Some cryptorchidism patients have a clear family history, so genetic factors may be one of the causes of cryptorchidism. There may be other reasons for cryptorchidism. It is expected that with the continuous improvement of medical level, these reasons will become clear one by one, in order to find effective prevention and treatment methods to prevent the occurrence of this disease. Testicular descent requires sufficient motivation, which relies on maternal gonadotropins to stimulate fetal testicular interstitial cells to produce androgens. When the testicles themselves have defects, cryptorchidism occurs without a decrease in response to gonadotropins; Because testicular descent occurs when the concentration of gonadotropins in the blood is high, and when the maternal gonadotropin is lacking, it can also lead to incomplete testicular descent, leading to cryptorchidism. The main organic factors leading to cryptorchidism include short or missing testicular frenulum, adhesion between the mesentery and peritoneum, abnormal development of testicular blood vessels, short spermatic cord or vas deferens, abnormal development of testicles, and abnormal development of the scrotum.

2、 Does cryptorchidism affect fertility?

The clinical incidence rate of cryptorchidism is not low. Unilateral cryptorchidism is generally more common. Unilateral cryptorchidism patients usually have normal contralateral testicles, so it rarely affects the patient's fertility. If it is bilateral cryptorchidism, the child generally needs active surgical treatment. If surgery is performed within the age of two and the testicles return to normal position, it will not have a significant impact on the testicles, and the child still has fertility. If treatment is delayed, it can cause bilateral testicular atrophy and abnormal testicular spermatogenesis, which may affect reproductive function. Cryptorchidism can affect fertility, especially bilateral cryptorchidism, which directly affects fertility. Cryptorchidism often occurs during infancy. Early detection and surgical treatment generally do not affect fertility. Now in diagnosing cryptorchidism, it is necessary to clarify whether it is unilateral or bilateral, and unilateral does not affect fertility. However, both cases require early surgical treatment to avoid cancer progression.

3、 Can you conceive after cryptorchidism surgery?

If a child has cryptorchidism and does not heal on their own before 6 months, surgery should be considered. Surgery is a commonly used method for treating cryptorchidism. Generally speaking, after formal surgery, if there are no other problems, it is possible to have children, which was originally a surgery to save the future fertility of children with cryptorchidism. But when performing surgery on a child, it is important to choose a reputable professional hospital and seize the best opportunity for the surgery. The surgical time should not exceed two years old, which means that the earlier a child with cryptorchidism is born six months later, the better.

Cryptorchidism is a congenital malformation with high incidence rate. If cryptorchidism is not found in childhood, it will permanently affect future fertility. After growing up the day after tomorrow, if surgery is not possible, necrotic testicles can even pose a serious risk of cancer! So if cryptorchidism is found, it is necessary to undergo surgery as soon as possible.