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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your son has a retractile testicle, he may be sensitive about his appearance. He may have anxieties about looking different from friends or classmates, especially if he has to undress in front of others in gym class. The following strategies may help him cope:
- Explain in simple terms what a retractile testicle is.
- Remind him that there's nothing wrong with him.
- Explain that the position of the testicle is something you, your son and his pediatrician will pay attention to and fix if necessary.
- Help him practice a response if he's teased or asked about the condition.
- Buy loosefitting boxer shorts and swim trunks that may make the condition less noticeable when changing clothes and playing sports at school.
- Be aware of signs of anxiety, such as not participating in sports that he would normally enjoy.
References
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Cryptorchidism (undescended testes). Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2009.
- Cooper CS, et al. Undescended testes (cryptorchidism) in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Aug. 20, 2012.
- Keys C and Heloury Y. Retractile testes: A review of the current literature. Journal of Pediatric Urology. 2012;8:2.
- Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/...=978-1-4377-0755-7&sid=1344526854&uniqId=352342035-4#4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0755-7..00539-X--s0010. Accessed Aug. 20, 2012.
- Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/...n=978-1-4160-6911-9&sid=1344526854&uniqId=352342035-3#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6911-9..00132-8--s0050. Accessed. Aug. 20, 2012.
- Agarwal PK, et al. Retractile testis — Is it really a normal variant? Journal of Urology. 2006;175:1496.
- Kramer SA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 23, 2012.
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