# sorry for butting in, Undescended testicles question?



## luckdragon

My oh,

has undescended testicles, they were not noticed when he was a child, and they only found out about them when he was 14 and in a lot of pain with his abdomen.

it was on both sides.

I don't think he even relises what effect this might have had on his fertility and I only found out yesterday when someone else was telling me about thir ivf.

has anyone elses oh, or dh got this? and will we ever have children? :-( feeling a bit low right now

xxxx


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## MariaF

So did he have an operation at 14, when they discovered it?

One of my DH's testicles was undescended but he was operated on when he was 3 or 4...basically young.

He has no sperm issues...may be morphology could be a bit better. But before he got tested the FS did say he's almost certain there will be issues.

So not really sure what to say - it could go either way. Has your OH had an SA?


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## luckdragon

hi hun,

yes he had the op when he was 14 to put them back down but they are very small and still dont seem in the right place to me (what do i know)

No he hasnt had a sa. I havnt acutualy broached this subject with him yet, he still assumes we will concieve natrualy. No one has ever told hom about undescended testicles and the link with fertility. His mum never said anything about it :-S it's been on my mind for days now :-(


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## Kristin83

My hubby had both undescended...and surgery to fix them when he was 2

We TTC for 2 years before going to a FS, and when he had a SA done it was shown he has a very low count (0.2million and normal is 20mil or higher). He was referred to a urologist to be checked (our urologist specialized in male infertility) and he said his low count was atrophied testicles due to them being undescended...We went through IVF and it worked on the first try :D

Not to freak you out because its not the same with everyone like Maria's example shows...but thats my story :) Good luck with everything! :hugs:


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## Deb111

As someone who's trying to look for ways forward with a hubby who has a sperm count of zero, I would urge you to try to get him to have a SA done. 

I'm not trying to worry you, *and my hubby's issue has nothing to do with undescended testicles*, but if there is a problem, trust me, the sooner you find out the better. If there is an issue, it really doesn't mean it's the end for you having a family -there are lots of treatments and options and it may just mean IVF.

Good luck hun xx


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## Tarkwa

Hi luckdragon, can I ask a question? How long have you been TTC? It's standard practice when you get referred to a FS (usually after ~1yr) for both partners to be tested (if the GP hasn't already done this). My DH was referred to a urologist to check him out (one undescended) and although his SA wasn't great (not low but could have been higher), the urologist (lovely guy!) wasn't at all concerned (and from his results was quite surprised when he examined him and only found one!). My DH has never had surgery, but he's coping just fine (and it doesn't bother me!). I'm a bit miffed at my MIL though - surely she should have done something about it when he was little :growlmad:!
xxx


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## dreamofabean

Hi Hun, my dh had both testicles undescended. He had the op at two and one was brought down and one removed. His Sa was pretty bad. Slightly low count but morphology was dreadful. We've been referred for Icsi but also going to see a urologist incase there is a varicocele. Our fs said that the earlier the op, the less chance of it affecting fertility. We have been ttc for just over a year but I had gynae issues to start with so we've been lucky that we were seen straight away. I'd suggest your oh sees his gp and gets an Sa done so you know. Considering his history they shouldn't refuse one. We wasted ten months treating me with clomid etc when it was useless as his swimmers too poor, don't make our mistake! 
Best of luck honey xxx


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## luckdragon

thank you for all your replies guys. We havnt actualy been ttc for long, and oh is rather embarassed to discuss his problem, but after a long chat yesterday he has agreed if nothing happens after a few more months he will go to the drs for a SA.
I know they say to leave it a year, but i just feel we will be wasting time leaving it. 

the sad thing is he didn't even know that it could have affected his fertility until i told him :-( 

his mum just told him he was fine and he's never assumed otherwise.


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## dreamofabean

It's tough isn't it as my dh was told he'd prob be fine but unfortunately not. With his history they shouldn't argue over doing a Sa! X


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## luckdragon

dreamofabean said:


> It's tough isn't it as my dh was told he'd prob be fine but unfortunately not. With his history they shouldn't argue over doing a Sa! X

yep. And it makes me wonder how he must be feeling about it too :-(

after being told he would be normal at the age of 15, they clearly didn't explain much. it must have done something to him becasue his testicles both shrunk to barely anything :-S


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## countrylass

If a guy had an undescended testicle, and had surgery during childhood, would that have an impact on the overall size of the testicle in adulthood?

I feel dumb for even asking the question, but for years I always thought that my OH just had small testicles. Then, after having a bit of a "furtle" around one day, I realised that he has a smallish testicle and a real tiny testicle. He's very sensitive about the subject, and all I know is that he had an operation during childhood. 
In fact, I don't think he even knows what operation he had, just that he had some kind of minor surgery in the genital area.
A few months ago his Mom brought up the subject of the surgery, and OH went crazy at her, so she promised to tell me when he's not around. But as she lives 300 miles away, catching up is difficult! 

I may be putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5, but from what I read of undescended testicles, it affects 30% of premature born boys. OH was born 9 wks early. So it's got me wondering.


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## Kristin83

i think it would make sense especially if they didn't do the surgery till he was 14....the tissue would have atrophied and not grown so they probably would be smaller...I'm glad that he is open to a SA if nothing happens in a few months :D


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## luckdragon

yeah  i guess we will just wait and see now. at least i know about it before we even start so we don't get too wound up if nothing happens when we ttc normaly!
i'm guessing that if they were left in his abdomen for that lengh of time there will be at least some damage done, but i wouldnt be suprised if he he's completly azoospermic


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## Kristin83

Stay positive! :hugs: don't stress about it too much bc it can make the trying no fun!!


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## luckdragon

just to update you all, we have now started tests. i've had some bloods and dh is going for a semen analysis tomorrow!! it's going to be the longest wait ever to get the results


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## MariaF

Good luck! As I said my DH had his op when he was 4 or 5 or so and it didn't affect his swimmers. Although one of his testicles is only half the size of the other! 

Luckily he's cool about it and has no problem discussing it with anyone really - just jokes around about it.

But I can see how it can be a very sensitive issue.


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## luckdragon

yeah, DH has one smaller than the other. poor guy. His SA is tomorrow morning at 8.30am eek i'm praying there will be at least some sperm to do ivf with. fingers crossed. xx


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## nouxie79

luckdragon said:


> My oh,
> 
> has undescended testicles, they were not noticed when he was a child, and they only found out about them when he was 14 and in a lot of pain with his abdomen.
> 
> it was on both sides.
> 
> I don't think he even relises what effect this might have had on his fertility and I only found out yesterday when someone else was telling me about thir ivf.
> 
> has anyone elses oh, or dh got this? and will we ever have children? :-( feeling a bit low right now
> 
> xxxx


Hi

My OH had undescended testicules n they were both corrected at 6 years old
When he did a sa he was told they was zero sperm n 2nd sa they was a few non motile sperms! 
He's going thru some more tests n we were told by his andrologist that undescended testes r the reason for his zero sperms!
Our only option to conceive is via IVF/ICSI with a sperm surgical retrieval but we were also told that they might not find anything during the SSR or they might not be good sperms and to start thinking abt using a donor!
We will not think abt the latter until we hv exhausted all options!

Hope n pray for u that yr OH sample is not as bad! It's the hardest thing to ever deal with but i kind of got used to it now n my thinking is whatever will b will b! N it's Not OH fault n no one is to blame!


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## luckdragon

eeeek i guess i'll be letting you all know in about 10 days then (thats how long we were told it would be to get the results)
hmmm :-S


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## lbm2009

My husband had undefended testicles that were corrected when he was about 2. This unforunately has caused all our problems. He has no sperm and what he has got are dead. He has one normal testicle and one that s smaller this one is not fully formed and therefore doesn't function. We have come to a stand still because I am overweight but I wish they would look into whether they can correct his problem that way we maybe wouldn't need ivf. If they can repair the damage to the tube or free up the blockage. They haven't even looked at him all they have done is a sa. I have had loads of invasive tests and now it's on me to loose weight, I can't understand why they aren't looking into my husbands problem more. It is so frustrating.


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## luckdragon

lbm2009 said:


> My husband had undefended testicles that were corrected when he was about 2. This unforunately has caused all our problems. He has no sperm and what he has got are dead. He has one normal testicle and one that s smaller this one is not fully formed and therefore doesn't function. We have come to a stand still because I am overweight but I wish they would look into whether they can correct his problem that way we maybe wouldn't need ivf. If they can repair the damage to the tube or free up the blockage. They haven't even looked at him all they have done is a sa. I have had loads of invasive tests and now it's on me to loose weight, I can't understand why they aren't looking into my husbands problem more. It is so frustrating.


yeah, i wonderd that too. my dh has one smaller than the other one!! 
i hope it all goes well for you in the future though hun, i know loosing weight isnt easy! i'm very furtunate that my bmi is below 25 but i can see how frustrating it can be!!
and why is it that we get the worst tests and all the man has to do is ya know...:blush:

xxx


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## luckdragon

just had the results back

me fine and him showed no sperm what so ever in his semen analyss :-(


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## star25

Hi, sorry your going through this, just know your not on your own, theres so much support on here and people to help
I think my DH may be in the same boat, as far as we know he had 1 undescended testicle which was operated on when he was 4-6 yrs old. We've been NTNP for 5 yrs and TTC 2 yrs, im also very irregular so always thought the problem would be with me, never thought about it when my DH mentionned having the op when he was young, until I started googling that is!
Now im worried it may have been both, sounds stupid but im sure ive seen 2 scars on his abdomen, i think I may just be going mad now and dreading the worst, hes definitley got 1 smaller than the other!
1st SA came back 'not very good' However, not sure of the exact results but he has to restest, he also didnt get it to the hosp. soon enough,
Ive got him on so many vitamins, just hoping and trying to stay positive for the next test, my GP has prescribed me clomid for the next 3 months, he didnt seem to worried when I spoke to him about DH and is putting it down to me not ovulating

Has anyone had experience of vitamins actually helping sperm counts after retesting?

Good luck to all during these difficult times, stay positive xx


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## nouxie79

luckdragon said:


> just had the results back
> 
> me fine and him showed no sperm what so ever in his semen analyss :-(

Hi Hun... Sooo sorry to hear that yr OH sample showed no sperm at all! I know hw u feeling right now as we've all been there but I promise it will get easier as time goes by and u will start thinking abt your options etc.... And also don't give up hope as there are so many things they can do now to retrieve sperms!
As for me we r still waiting on an appointment for a trial SSR and am still hoping that we will hv some sperms to use for ICSI! After a long talk over a few months my oh has decided that we will use a ds if we hv too as we both want our family no matter what!


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## luckdragon

not good is it guys :-( when everyone else is pregnant around us!!! it would be interesting to see how many people on heres partners have had undescended problem


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## star25

Hi luck i know what u mean, ive had 2 ppl at work pregnant and 1 of them is my 19yr old sister tho im happy 4 them and looking forward to having another nephew :) 

I knew about dh a while ago but didn't think about it being a problem until I started googling and then started panicking!
my MIL said it was only 1 but i have my suspicions if she actually remembered right or not, his brother had 1 too but he had no problem having his daughter 

anyone elses OH have undescended testicle(s) and get a natural bfp?


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## luckdragon

star25 said:


> Hi luck i know what u mean, ive had 2 ppl at work pregnant and 1 of them is my 19yr old sister tho im happy 4 them and looking forward to having another nephew :)
> 
> I knew about dh a while ago but didn't think about it being a problem until I started googling and then started panicking!
> my MIL said it was only 1 but i have my suspicions if she actually remembered right or not, his brother had 1 too but he had no problem having his daughter
> 
> anyone elses OH have undescended testicle(s) and get a natural bfp?


hey chick, my dh had both operated on. and Unfortunatly the longer it's left the worse it can be!! only way to tell is by a sperm count!! My bloke has had two done and both said zero sperm. bad times :-/


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## lunaflower

Hi star25,

I just wanted to let you know my expereience. My DH was born with both testicles undescended, and had the operation to correct this around the age of seven.

We are just about to start our first ICSI cycle this month after 18 - 24 months of ttc with no hint of a BFP. DH's SA results have been low on all counts (Volume, Motility and Morphology) but things have seen a bit of improvement after taking vits. 1 year ago, he had no rapidly motile sperm, and in his latest SA is showed 44% rapidly motile. 

The only Vits he has been taking are a mulit-vit, and extra vitamin C with Zinc. He has also cut down alcohol intake, but not stopped completely.

The only disappointing thing is that the vitamins don't seem to have had any effect on the amount of sperm there ( It has varied between 3.5million and 9 million, and we were told he needed at least 20million to be considered fertile). His morphology has shown no change in the past year, staying under 2%.

What I'm really trying to say, is that if you know there are some spern there, then do try vitamins as they appear to have helped my DH's motility a lot. And as long as there are some sperm there that can swim, then there is always a chance! This thought is helping me get through the ICSI, because if it tuns out to be BFN, then there is always a bit of hope for a natural BFP.

I hope this has helped, there are lots of ladies out there who's OH's had undescended testicles, and there is not a lot of useful advice out there. One more positive story - my DH's dad also had this problem (I don't know if he ever got it corrected, actually) and after SEVEN years of trying, my brother-in-law came along as a natural BFP, and 1 year later my DH came along as well. So as I say, there is always hope if your DH has/had this condition!

Keep smiling :flower:


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## lbm2009

Oh luckdragon I'm sorry the results came back that way. My dh were the same and I know exactly what your going through did they centrifuge the sample as they did with my dh's when they did this they found 3 dead ones (three out of millions I know but it still gives me hope. I also know what you mean about people around you having babies 26 definitely seems to be the age everyone has babies 2 people at work and loads of freinds I've deactivated my facebook so I can't see how many are expecting crazy I know but I haven't cried for a week so it's doing some good. 

Has you dr said what to do next? My dh's doctor basically told us to go private and told us we couldn't gave nhs funding. My dr sent me for tests now I'm in limbo of having to loose weight before we can go the nhs route. I've got a price list for a private nhs clinic & the price scares me £8000. Our car didn't even cost half that!!! But if it comes to it I'm prepared to get a second job working weekends to save up for it. I will be worth it. I hope your okay, I sometimes think it would be easier to cope if I was the problem I feel terrible cos my dh feels like he's let me down. We have been together over 11 years and I love him dearly. It's heartbreaking seeing him so depressed sometimes. We will get there in the end I hope x


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## star25

Hi lunaflower, thank u for the hope, its good your DH managed to increase his motility! thats the one i worry about the most for some reason, that the if there is enough sperm there then they are moving and in the right direction,

its nearly been 3 months since my DH last SA so will be re testing soon, ive got my clomid to try for 3 months in the meantime, ive currently got my poor DH on:
vit c - 100mg
vit b complex - 50mg
vit e - 400mg
selenium - 200mg
omega 3 fish oil - 1000mg
co enzyme q10 -120mg
L carnitine - 500mg
Zinc - 25mg

Im taking vit c, omega 3, zinc, folic acid and vit e

Ive done alot of research and really hope this will help, hes also cut down drinking, like your DH, not completely but enough as never binge drank just a couple now and again after work, hes never smoked, wears boxers, (hasn't got much of a clue on even using a laptop hehe) and doesnt have baths so apart from the undescended testicle im really hoping were doing all we can and I can start my clomid tomorrow with some hope!

Good luck with your treatment and let me know when you have your soon to be BFP!!
Thank you
xxx


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## MrsCompass

Hello Ladies - any success stories? My DH had an undescended testes and were corrected at age 9 .. therefore low count :(

We did get pregnant naturally 3 months ago but unfortunately miscarried.


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## star25

Hi, i still havent got a success story but sorry for your loss, hope you get your bfp soon xxx


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## MrsCompass

Hi Star - i noticed that you have your DH on a list of vitamins. I do too. 
I was wondering if those vitamins made any differnce in his count at all?


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## star25

Hi, we havent avtually tested again yet, really was meant to but going to do it after xmas now so ill let you know as hes still on them, i dont ovulate on my own either so thats also why we havent got a bfp yet, good luck!


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## MrsCompass

star25 said:


> Hi, we havent avtually tested again yet, really was meant to but going to do it after xmas now so ill let you know as hes still on them, i dont ovulate on my own either so thats also why we havent got a bfp yet, good luck!

Sounds very familiar ... oh wait a minute .. that's our story! :haha:

It sucks, eh?! Double whammy for us. :nope: But we must keep the faith.


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## star25

it really does suck, but yes it will happen for us soon, gotta keep hoping!! xx


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## StephieB

Just to add my two pence worth, my husband was born with 2 undecended testicles, when he was about 6 months old he had one brought down, and the other had to be removed.

When we first started TTC he was convinced he was the reason it wasn't happening due to his one fella and he wasn't sure of the damage that had been caused when it was brought down etc... when 12 months rolled around he was sent for a SA and low and behold his results came back perfectly fine! Docs say his one remaining testicle is doing the work of 2, and although the amount is slightly lower, all of the little sperms in there are doing the best job they can. So after 12 months of worrying it was him, looks like the problem is more likely down to me. :dohh: 

Definitely get in for a SA sooner rather than later, it was such a weight of our shoulders to get one more thing crossed off the list of 'possible problems'

Best of luck!!! :flower:


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## MrsCompass

StephieB said:


> Just to add my two pence worth, my husband was born with 2 undecended testicles, when he was about 6 months old he had one brought down, and the other had to be removed.
> 
> When we first started TTC he was convinced he was the reason it wasn't happening due to his one fella and he wasn't sure of the damage that had been caused when it was brought down etc... when 12 months rolled around he was sent for a SA and low and behold his results came back perfectly fine! Docs say his one remaining testicle is doing the work of 2, and although the amount is slightly lower, all of the little sperms in there are doing the best job they can. So after 12 months of worrying it was him, looks like the problem is more likely down to me. :dohh:
> 
> Definitely get in for a SA sooner rather than later, it was such a weight of our shoulders to get one more thing crossed off the list of 'possible problems'
> 
> Best of luck!!! :flower:

Thank you Steph - may I ask what his count is like?


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## StephieB

Hi MrsCompass, 

If I remember rightly, his count was around 23.3, but volume was only 1.3ml (low). Docs said that with count, morphology etc.. all being within normal range, they would only look at male factor again once they have ruled out everything on the female side. :flower:


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## MrsCompass

Thanks Steph ... 

Our last SA in March was 6-7million but we conceived naturally in July and we were very thrilled. Unfortunately, we lost the baby as well. But it goes to show you, it only takes 1 good swimmer. 

ps. sorry about your angelbaby


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## StephieB

:hugs: thank you. I'm so sorry to hear about your angel baby too. 

When we first spoke to a doctor after the miscarriage (very early at 7 weeks) she was very understanding, and said that as devastating as every miscarriage is, it's a good sign that it isn't impossible, and we have reached that goal once before, our next goal is just to make it stick. That made me think slightly differently about it, we were heart broken, but knew it wasn't impossible 

All the luck in the world to you and your OH :flower:


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## NikkiR143

StephieB said:


> Hi MrsCompass,
> 
> If I remember rightly, his count was around 23.3, but volume was only 1.3ml (low). Docs said that with count, morphology etc.. all being within normal range, they would only look at male factor again once they have ruled out everything on the female side. :flower:

Hi Stephanie,

My DH had one undescended testicle as a child. It never dropped and is still in his abdomen. His left testicle is normal though, as far as I know. He went in for a SA last week, and the sperm count says TND- test not done? Agglutination of sperm is 3+ and there was no liquefacation, which is a bad thing (I think). I'm so confused. His volume was quite low too, 1.5 ml. We have an appointment with a fertility specialist soon, but his regular doctor thinks they didn't take the sperm count because volume was too low. I think he is wrong. It looks like your hubby had an even lower semen volume, and they took his sperm count just fine! I';m worried :(


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