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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).
Because appointments can be brief, and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to arrive well prepared. 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.
Preparing a list of questions can help you make sure that you cover the points that are important to you. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For retractile testicle, 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 Web sites do you recommend visiting?
- What are the risks of not treating this condition?
- Will this affect my son's ability to have children?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
- 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?
- Agarwal PK, et al. Retractile testis — Is it really a normal variant? Journal of Urology. 2006;175:1496.
- La Scala, et al. Retractile testes: an outcome analysis on 150 patients. Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 2004;39:1014.
- Cooper CS, et al. Urology. In: Doherty GM. Current Diagnosis and Treatment: Surgery. 13th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5312459. Accessed March 10, 2010.
- Stec AA, et al. Incidence of testicular ascent in boys with retractile testes. Journal of Urology. 2007;178:1722.
- Anatomic disorders. In: Rakel RE. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/188759382-2/966699837/1481/588.html?printi. Accessed March 11, 2010.
- Pettersson A, et al. Age at surgery for undescended testis and risk of testicular cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;356:1835.
- Charles JC. The fate of the retractile testicles. Journal of Urology. 2003;171:1237.
- Hack WW. Natural history and long-term testicular growth of acquired undescended testis after spontaneous descent or pubertal orchidopexy. BJU International. In Press. Accessed March 12, 2010.
- Sandlow JI, et al. Surgery of the scrotum and seminal vesicles. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/188759382-2/966699837/1445/37.html?printin. Accessed March 11, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 15, 2010.
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