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By Mayo Clinic staffLow birth weight and premature birth are the best understood risk factors that may increase the likelihood of undescended testicle in a newborn. Other risk factors are not as well understood. Conditions that may increase the risk include:
- Low birth weight
- Premature birth
- Family history of undescended testicle or other problems of genital development
- Conditions of the fetus that can restrict growth, such as Down syndrome or an abdominal wall defect
- Alcohol use by the mother during pregnancy
- Cigarette smoking by mother or exposure to secondhand smoke
- Diabetes in the mother — type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes
- Parents' exposure to some pesticides
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- Barthold JS. Undescended testis: Current theories of etiology. Current Opinion in Urology. 2008;18(4):395-400.
- Kelsberg G, et al. Clinical inquiries. When should a child with an undescended testis be referred to a urologist? Journal of Family Practice. 2006;55(4):336-337.
- Cooper, CS. Undescended testicle (cryptorchidism). www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 25, 2008.
- Esposito C, et al. Management of boys with nonpalpable undescended testis. Nature Clinical Practice Urology. 2008;5(5):252-60.
- Liptak GS. Genital defects. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec23/ch265/ch265d.html. Accessed Aug. 19, 2008.