Unilateral Cryptorchidism; Subsequent Effects on Fertility

Abstract

Seminal studies carried out in thirty-four cases of untreated, post-pubertal, unilateral cryptorchidism have revealed a high incidence of sterility and severely impaired fertility, while the seminal findings of six cases of retractile testis showed no diminution of fertility.Testicular biopsies, carried out in two retractile testes, confirmed their normality, while similar studies of seven pubertal retained testes and nine pubertal ectopie testes showed that spermatogenesis is more severely damaged in the former than it is in the latter. Further biopsy studies of eight contralateral gonads in unilateral cryptorchids have disclosed an unexpectedly high incidence of spermatogenic arrest in the so-called normally descended opposite testis.

Reproductive Characteristics of Male Florida Panthers: Comparative Studies from Florida, Texas, Colorado, Latin America, and North American Zoos

“…Unilateral cryptorchidism reduces semen quality in dogs (Kawakami et aI., 1984) and humans (Scott, 1961). This was notthe case in the Florida panther, perhaps because semen Quality already was poor.…”

The relationship of cryptorchidism to fertility

“…In-between, oligospermia is represented by a concentration of less than 20 x 10 6 /mL. Early reports have suggested that sperm counts are better after hCG treatment (among unilateral and bilateral groups) compared with surgery [31] and that a large percentage of men who had unilateral cryptorchidism have subnormal sperm density [32]. Generally speaking, fertility potential is much more compromised than recent studies have suggested.…”