My son’s undescended testes

When I was recently bathing my six-month-old son, I noticed that it was only his right testicle that was in the scrotum while the left one was missing. The doctor whom I reported the matter to said that my son has an undescended testes which will need to be brought down to the scrotum by operation. I am very worried about this. Can I wait for the testes to come down on its own as I am worried about an operation for my son at such an early age.

Cynthia (by SMS)

• Causes of pain in the testicles

In some babies, one or both testicles do not drop down like they should. Undescended testicles may be in the belly or groin area. It is also possible for a baby to be born without one or both testicles. Undescended testicles could be healthy and work normally. Sometimes, however, undescended testicles do not develop correctly and do not work like they should. In seven out of every 10 babies born with undescended testicles, the undescended testicles will drop down into the correct position before the baby is 6 months old.  Since your child’s testicle has not descended at 6 months old, your doctor is right about bringing it down into the scrotum through surgery since other options are not effective. In addition, it is best to treat undescended testicles while your child is still very young—between six months and one year of age.