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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffTesticles form in the abdomen during fetal development. During the final months of development, the testicles gradually descend into the scrotum. If your son has a retractile testicle, the testicle originally descended as it should, but then it didn't remain in place.
Signs and symptoms of a retractile testicle include the following:
- The testicle may be moved by hand into the scrotum and won't immediately "retreat" to the groin.
- It may spontaneously "appear" in the scrotum and remain there for a time.
- It may spontaneously "disappear" again for a time.
The movement of the testicle almost always occurs without pain or discomfort. Therefore, a retractile testicle is only noticed when you no longer see or feel it in the scrotum.
The position of one testicle is usually independent of the position of the other one. For example, a boy may have one normal testicle and one retractile testicle.
Retractile testicle is different from undescended testicle (cryptorchidism). The undescended testicle is one that never entered the scrotum. If a doctor attempted to guide an undescended testicle, it wouldn't move or would move slightly, most likely with some discomfort or pain.
