What Is Testicular Retraction?
Testicles are located at the base of your spine. They are connected to the scrotum (the pouch under the skin) through a thin tube called a spermatic cord. When you have sexual arousal or ejaculation, blood flows into your body cavity from both sides of your body and then out through these tubes. Your testes produce testosterone which is responsible for making male characteristics such as hair growth, muscle development, and so forth. Testosterone levels decrease when you become infertile. If you have a low level of testosterone in your body, it will cause symptoms like fatigue, depression, loss of libido and other problems.
Testicular retraction occurs when the tubes that carry testosterone out of the body get blocked due to some reason. The result is a temporary drop in testosterone levels. Symptoms may include:
Fatigue
Depression
Loss of libido (sexual desire) and/or erections (erectile dysfunction)
Decreased energy and poor concentration ability. These symptoms may persist even after the testicles have been removed.
The most common reason for tissue to block the pathway and cause these symptoms is a condition known as epididymitis. This condition is caused by an infection in the epididymis or seminal vesicles (the small tubes that carry the released testosterone out of the body). With this type of infection, you may experience pain in your testicles, a decrease in your ability to have an erection, a fever, and back pain.
You might also have nausea, diarrhea or vomiting.
There are other reasons why your testes might experience a blockage in their pathway. These can include an injury, a congenital defect or a tumor.
If you have these symptoms and believe that you are suffering from low testosterone levels, it is very important that you get medical help. You should see your family doctor or go straight to an emergency room.
What Is Testicular Retraction Causes
The causes of this condition are:
Tumors or cancer in the testicles that block the pathway.
A hernia in the scrotum that pinches a portion of the spermatic cord causing a blockage.
A congenital defect in the construction of the tubes or cords.
Epididymitis, a type of infection in one of the tubes within the spermatic cord. This infection can be caused by several types of bacteria or a sexually transmitted disease such as gonorrhea.
Injury to the spermatic cord causing bruising or bleeding and reducing the amount of blood flowing through it.
What Are The Types Of Testicular Retraction?
It is important to understand that there are two different types of testicular retraction and it is important to know the difference between them. These are retractile and non-retractile testes. With retractile testes, the condition is not permanent and will get better on its own over time. With non-retractile testes, the condition is permanent and requires treatment.
Retractile testes will go back into the scrotum on their own. The natural way to treat this condition is to wait and not do anything. You should check the testicle every six months or so to see if it has moved back into place.
If you are not actively trying to have children and you have no pain or other symptoms that would cause you concern, a doctor may recommend that you simply live with this condition for now and consider surgery later if it becomes necessary.
Non-retractile testes do not return to the scrotum on their own and will need to be actively corrected by surgery. The causes of this condition are similar to those listed above.
How Is Testicular Retraction Diagnosed?
The first thing that you should do if you believe that you have testicular retraction is to see your family doctor. He or she will ask you about your medical history and do a physical examination.
Sources & references used in this article:
Retracted: Effects of exposure to a mobile phone on testicular function and structure in adult rabbit by N Salama, T Kishimoto… – International journal of …, 2010 – Wiley Online Library
Cremasteric cramp with testicular retraction by JA Baty – British medical journal, 1956 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mechanisms of nanosized titanium dioxide-induced testicular oxidative stress and apoptosis in male mice by X Zhao, L Sheng, L Wang, J Hong, X Yu… – Particle and Fibre …, 2014 – Springer
Clinical study of the spermatogenesis of undescended testicles by DW MacCOLLUM – Archives of Surgery, 1935 – jamanetwork.com
Testicular dislocation following minor scrotal trauma by M Feder, A Sacchetti, S Myrick – The American journal of emergency …, 1991 – Elsevier
LHRH treatment in unilateral cryptorchidism: effect on testicular descent and hormonal response by B Karpe, P Eneroth, EM Ritzen – The Journal of pediatrics, 1983 – Elsevier
Painful postcoital testicular retraction linked with desipramine. by AR Sorvino – The American journal of psychiatry, 1986 – psycnet.apa.org
