Why is there a man born with only one testicle?

Normally, men are born with two testes or testes that function to produce sperm. However, there are conditions when one testicle does not descend or is said to have only one testicle from birth. This condition is called monorchism. So, what are the causes? Find out the answer in the following review.

What is monorchism?

Monorchism is a condition when a man has only one testicle. This usually occurs because of a disruption in the development of the embryo or fetus and does not have any symptoms. However, this loss of one testicle may occur for a variety of other reasons.

Fertility concerns may be experienced by men with this condition. Take it easy, even with one testicle can still function as a reproductive organ that ensures your fertility as a man when you get married. The reason is, like a kidney, if one of the kidneys does not function, a healthy organ will take over its function to keep the body healthy.

Various causes of monorchism

1. One testicle does not descend into the scrotum (chyptorchidism)

Chyptorchidism is a condition when only one testicle descends into the scrotum, usually caused by impaired fetal development. In some cases, this occurs in only one testicle, but there are about 10 percent of the incidence of both testicles undescended. This often occurs in baby boys who are born prematurely.

Normally, testes begin to develop in the abdominal cavity of the fetus at 10 weeks of gestation. As gestational age increases, at around 28-40 weeks, the testes are expected to enter the inguinal canal, which is a channel that forms a way for the testicles to descend from the abdominal cavity to the scrotal sac. However, in the condition of chyptorchidism, this testicle cannot move towards the scrotum.

If it is known early in the baby's birth, these testes should spontaneously descend in the first four months of birth. However, if you still can't get down, then it is better to do an operating procedure called orchidopexy to lower the testicles into the scrotum. This operation is important to do in the first year of birth of a baby to avoid loss of testicular function, keep away from the risk of infertility, and prevent testicular cancer.

2.One testicle disappears (vanishing testis)

During the development of the embryo and fetus, other problems with testicular development may occur, one of which is that one testicle disappears during development. This is called vanishing testis or testicular regression syndrome.

These problems tend to go undetected and cannot be treated. This is caused by testicular torsion disease, injury, or hormonal imbalance during pregnancy that causes the testicle to disappear or vanishing testes.

In this condition, the immune system picks up a signal that the testicles have been damaged so that macrophages (white blood cells that actively destroy foreign substances or dead cells) become active and eliminate these non-functional organs.

Although this cannot be treated, it is important to do further tests to make sure that the condition is not cryptorchidism. Because, about 5 percent of cryptorchidism patients also experience this condition.

3. Removal of one testicle (orchiectomy)

Orchiectomy is a surgical procedure performed to remove one or two testicles due to some pathological process. This surgery can be performed on the grounds of a testicular tumor, serious injury, testicular torsion disease, and prostate cancer.

In addition to performing the testicular removal procedure, it is hoped that other surgeries can be performed to eliminate the pathological process and save some testicular function while it is still possible.