Male newborns who are born prematurely, have low birth weights, small stature for their age, or twins are more likely to have cryptorchidism. Male babies exposed to estrogen during their first trimester and those with siblings who had the condition also have a higher risk.
Cryptorchidism can and often does resolve itself. By the age of 6 months to one year, just 1% of male infants have cryptorchidism.
If it goes unresolved, doctors can treat cryptorchidism using a technique called orchiopexy to relocate the testis within the scrotum to the desired position. This usually occurs in men under the age of 32. Older men may get the surgery, depending on their risk of testicular cancer and a bad reaction to the anaesthesia.
Cryptorchidism is linked to a risk of testicular cancer and infertility. Successful orchiopexy reduces these risks, but it does not eliminate them entirely.