Before a baby boy is born, the testicles form in the child's abdomen. During the third trimester, the testicles travel from the abdomen, down the groin, and into the scrotum (the sack of skin beneath the penis). An undescended testicle doesn't complete the descent process.
Most of the time, a boy's testicles descend by the time he is 9 months old. Undescended testicles are common in infants who are born early. The problem occurs less in full-term infants. Some babies have a condition called retractile testes and the health care provider may not be able to find the testicles.
Acquired undescended testes
Sometimes a child is born with the testes in the scrotum, but they develop undescended testes later. As the child grows, the spermatic cord fails to grow at the same rate. It ends up too short, and pulls the testis back up into the groin. This can happen between one and 10 years of age.
As a baby boy grows inside his mother's womb, his testicles form inside his abdomen and move down (descend) into the scrotum shortly before birth. But in some cases, that move doesn't happen, and the baby is born with one or both testicles undescended. The majority of cases are in male babies born prematurely.
Both testicles should be in the scrotum by the time the child is one year old. In some children, the testicles may be in the scrotum for much of the time, but cannot be felt there because they naturally rise back into the body through fear or cold temperatures.
In young boys a retractile testicle is a testicle that moves between the groin and scrotum. This may seem alarming but it's not a health risk. The testicle most often moves back down into the scrotum on its own, but sometimes may require a painless move by the hand. Most boys grow out of retractile testicle.
Testicles are formed in the abdomen (belly) while the baby is developing in the uterus (womb). They normally move down into the scrotum in the last month or 2 before birth. Testicles are sensitive to pain and to temperature.
If the testicles don't descend into the scrotum on their own within six months, your baby may need surgery or other treatment. Providers generally recommend surgery to fix undescended testicles before your baby's first birthday. Without treatment, undescended testicles can lead to infertility later in life.
As a person ages, the testicles will generally sag much more. The process may not be noticeable at first, but by the age of 50 years, most people will notice a drastic difference in how much their balls sag.
At birth, the foreskin of most male babies doesn't yet pull back (retract) fully. Treat the foreskin gently, being careful not to force it back. Forcing it could cause pain, tearing and bleeding.
Newborns are born with extra fluid in their bodies. That fluid tends to collect in specific areas, particularly the face (causing puffy eyes) and genitalia (causing swollen labia in girls or a swollen scrotum in boys).
It's normal for babies of either sex to touch their genitals when they're young. It can start as early as 4 to 6 months, as babies gain control of their limbs and hands and start exploring their bodies. They'll grab at anything they can reach, including their ears, feet, and private parts.
When you climax, it's normal for testicles to "ride up" into your body. In some males, an "overactive" cremaster muscle pulls one (or both) of the testicles all the way out of the scrotum up into the groin. This condition, called retractile testicle, may explain your experience.
Calcifications: These are small structures in the testicle or along the main sperm pipeline (vas) can become hard, almost rock like. These are always painless and rarely need to be removed.
The testicle will shrink ("atrophy") if the blood supply isn't restored within 6 hours. With no blood, the testicle could die (or "infarct"). When the testes die, the scrotum will be very tender, red, and swollen. Often the patient won't be able to get comfortable.
It's all about Dad's genes
A man's X and a woman's X combine to become a girl, and a man's Y combines with a woman's X to become a boy. But if the sperm don't have equal Xs and Ys, or if other genetic factors are at play, it can affect the sex ratio.
Females always pass an X chromosome onto their offspring. If the father passes on an X chromosome, the baby will be genetically female, and if the father passes on a Y chromosome, the baby will be genetically male.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a boy is "a male child from birth to adulthood".
It causes the scrotum or groin area to swell. Many baby boys are born with this condition. The swelling it causes may look scary, but it is usually not a problem. It will probably go away by the time your baby is 2 years old.
Most boys will be able to retract their foreskins by the time they are 5 years old, yet others will not be able to until the teen years. As a boy becomes more aware of his body, he will most likely discover how to retract his own foreskin. But foreskin retraction should never be forced.
After Age 1 Year - How to Clean:
As the foreskin becomes able to retract on its own, cleanse beneath it. This helps to prevent infections. Exception: your child's doctor has told you not to retract the foreskin until child is older. Wash the exposed part of the glans gently with warm water.
You don't need to do anything special to care for the foreskin during infancy or childhood. You don't need to pull it back for cleaning. If your child does pull back the foreskin in the bath or shower, that's fine – but it's not needed.
“Sometimes the scrotum has enough slack that one's testicles can dip into the toilet water when seated if the water level is particularly high or the toilet particularly shallow.