Can a man with one testicle have children?
What you need to know:
- Just as a person with a single eye or a single kidney may live a normal and healthy life, you are likely to live a healthy life and have children, including boys and girls.
I was recently tested and found to have only one testicle. Will I be able to father any children and if so, will they be of one gender? Kamada
Dear Kamada,
It is true that each male human being normally has two testes in their scrotal sacs. The testes are responsible for making both sperms (for reproduction) and testosterone, a male hormone responsible for the development of male sexual characteristics including a deep voice, body hair (beards and pubic hair) and strong muscles.
Just as a person with a single eye or a single kidney may live a normal and healthy life, you are likely to live a healthy life and have children, including boys and girls.
In most cases, men with a single testicle (monorchidism) can make a woman pregnant since a single testicle can provide enough testosterone to cause a proper erection, leading to pregnancy. Also, this person can produce enough normal sperms to cause a pregnancy.
Monorchidism can be caused by, among others, a testicle failing to descend (from the abdominal cavity where the testes are formed) into the scrotum during the development of a foetus. Here, the undescended testicle can risk, among others, getting cancerous.
Visit your doctor to find out whether apart from having one testicle, you may be suffering from other conditions that could cause failure to have children or if your undescended testis can be corrected before it becomes cancerous.
