child born without testicles

Hi James

Has it been confirmed that your son definitely has no testicles or are they just misplaced in the abdominal cavity (in which case they can be re-positioned by surgery)

Assuming they are totally absent, the only realistic treatment involves putting artificial testicles in the scrotum for cosmetic reasons, and then giving graded doses of testosterone to trigger puberty at the appropriate time. This would then be continued through adult life.

No true human testicle transplantation has ever been carried out in this situation. There was one case in the 1970s where a young man donated a testicle to his identical twin brother, but as they were genetically identical there was no problem. Oncologists have also removed a testicle from pre-pubertal boys prior to cancer treatment and then replaced them afterwards. Once again though, this is not transplantation in the sense you mean. There is probably no technical reason why you could not transplant a testicle from an unrelated donor, but the problem (as for all transplants) is rejection. Transplant patients have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives, and the side effects of these can be unpleasant. If you need the transplanted kidney, heart, lungs etc to survive, then this is a small price to pay. In the case of the testicles, though, simply taking synthetic testosterone is a much better, safer and easier option.

Regarding stem cell transplantation, this is still highly experimental. In the comong decade we will undoubtedly find out how to use stem cells safely to help patients with conditions like Parkinson's disease or possibly spinal injuries. Using stem cells to make an entire organ like a testicle from scratch is way beyond our capabilities at the moment.

The one thing you can be sure of is that medical technology will have advanced dramatically by the time your son reaches adulthood and who knows what will be possible then.

Hi,I have a few questions & i really hope that someone with that knowledge can answer my questions:

1)A surgery to reposition the testicles into the scrotum is done,but after the surgery,the doctor said my cousin was born without both testicles.Is that possible?And are there any risk to him?

2)The doctor suggested us to putting artificial testicles in the scrotum.If that was done,will he be able to have orgasm and ejaculate like normal men?

Pls help me.I'm worried about him.Thx.

he will. He does not need the implants to acheive this

Hi James My husband and I just found out today on valentines day of all days that our son was born without functional testicles. He had surgery today to locate them and bring them down. One was completely missing. The other was there shriveled up and probably not viable. This is so devastating and I'm still numb about the news. I plan to research and spend my time searching for a plan and information on where to go from here. I would like to hear from you if you have found any helpful information out and hear how old your son is. My little boy is just shy of 9 months. Thank you Stacy

Hello Stacey

Like you we recently found out that our son ( now 5) does not have any testicles. He was however born with them but it would appear that both have 'disappeared', probably as a result of neonatal torsion. We are obviously still struggling o come to terms with his situation but have researched the subject a great deal. Have you come across the work Dr Paul Turek? He is currently working on creating the first artificial testicle, capable of producing sperm from stem cells. Obviously this is a long way off but for both of our boys we have at least 20 years before we need such technology to be refined.

We are struggling with the decision of when to have his implants put in? In England it would appear that they will not do this until they are 15. However in America and other parts of Europe the regularly operate from aged 7 upwards.

This is something that we have had to put to the backs of our minds as it was driving us crazy. Every so often we revisit it; like tonight. Physically he is totally normal and we have been assured that he will continue to grow as he should until around 10 years ( this is because he had the testcles when in the womb which is when they give the testosterone surge that is responsible for the penis growth) he will then have to commence his HRT.

I really for you as I know what an awful shock it is and you feel as though your little boy's opportunity of having a family has been taken from him at such a young age. I hope that you have a lot of support from family members. We have chosen to only tell a very select few as we consider this a deeply personal matter for him and when he is old enough he can decide whether who he wants to tell, thus only very immediate family are aware of his situation.

Sorry for the ramble I just wanted you to know that there is someone going through the same thing an d that oddly can be comfort for some

Kind regards

Hi,
I was just wondering how old your child is, my son is nearly 2 and he also has no testicles and he has had 2 round of hormone treatment already. fingers crossed he wont need any more until his older.

Provided the child gets the proper dosage of male hormones, he should be able to achieve erections and ejaculate like any guy. Of course, this is still medically complicated and he will require to have testosterone injections for the rest of his life. He will also be unable to father children of his own. I'd say rather than to spend time looking for alternatives (of which there are none), be supportive and encouraging for him to pursue happiness the way he is: A healthy person.

People are born with all kinds of medical complications all the time. Some are blind, deaf, or born without limbs... it would be cruel for the parents to seek out ways to make their child "normal" when no realistic medical alternatives exist for their condition. It would give the child false hope and, perhaps, the idea that he isn't normal until he finds that alternative.

Stacy, your son's condition is identical to my grandson's, who is almost 7. It's difficult news to absorb, for sure. He has seen a pediatric endocrinologist and a plan is in place for his hormone treatments. My daughter tried to find a support group for this and was unable to find one. If we could share contact info privately, it might be a good thing for you to be able to get in touch with parents and children in a like situation.

We like you discovered our son had a neonatal torsion if both testicles when he was less than 24 hrs old. They removed one that was calcified and didn't have much hope for the other. We just got a call from his endocrinologist with the results of his testosterone levels and were told that we'll need to start him on hormones once he hits puberty age.

I was born with out testes and have undergone HRT my entire life. I am now 42. A good endocrinologist will guide you and your son through this. Other than the inability to have children I am otherwise normal, both in appearance and function. I like to use the saying,"I have all the plumbing, I'm just not hooked up to city water"
I never chose implants. I figure if god made this way then I must be good enough.

Sailing in the same boat n worried n scared

Hello Dr. Jon187276
Plz suggest what should I do as a mother of two year olfactory who lost his left testicle for tortion. What will be the complications in future plz help

Hi
Please keep updated it can be of great help for some thanks in advance

This post resonates with me strongly. My son who is now 7 had the exact same series of events happen to him. We are keen for him to have implants in before he begins his hrt, then when he is older he can decide if he wants larger ones put in (I'm sure he will). Although I am devastated that he cannot father his own children the main issue I struggle with is that he will have to constantly take testosterone injections in order to live a normal life. I would love there to be a more regular treatment - like diabetes pens, or tablets each day. I also worry about the peaks and valleys of just having the injection and then a day or two befor me when fatigue sets in. He is a very sporty kid who will certainly want to play competitive sport as an adult and I would hate for this to get in the way of that on top of everything else.
It does comfort me to read posts like this and know that there are other children and parents going through the same thing and understand how it feels.
Keep well
JRWN