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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYour son's pediatrician can usually diagnose a retractile testicle. However, if he or she believes your son needs treatment, you may then be referred to a doctor who specializes in urinary disorders and problems with male genitals in children (pediatric urologist).
Here's some information to help you get ready for the appointment, and what to expect from your child's doctor.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms your child is experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Some basic questions to ask your child's doctor include:
- How does a retractile testicle occur?
- Does my son need any tests?
- Will my son outgrow this condition?
- What treatments are available, and which do you recommend?
- What types of side effects could there be from treatment?
- Are there any alternatives to the primary approach that you're suggesting?
- After surgery, how often does my son need to have follow-up doctor's appointments?
- Will my son have any activity restrictions?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What websites do you recommend visiting?
- What are the risks of not treating this condition?
- Will this affect my son's ability to have children?
Don't hesitate to ask questions anytime that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions:
- Does your son ever complain of pain in his groin?
- Has your son ever been treated for a hernia?
- Has your son experienced any trauma to his genitals?
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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