Orchidectomy is the operation of removing a testicle, the male sex glands. These are used to procreate and design male hormones. You can live with just one testicle without any problem, and even continue to have children.

What is the testicle?

The testicle is a gland located in the bursa in men. There are two (normally), which contain and produce sperm (whose role is to fertilize an egg in order to procreate) as well as the hormone testosterone. Each testicle is surrounded by blood vessels that supply it with blood.

Orchidectomy in summary

The principle of an orchiectomy is to simply remove the whole of one of the two testicles, most often because it develops a tumor. It is often not possible to remove a single part, the testicle would not work.

Preparing for an orchiectomy

• Stop smoking

  As with any operation, it is not recommended to smoke in the 6 to 8 weeks before.

• Store sperm

  An orchiectomy, along with the treatments that go with it, reduces the chances of childbearing. For patients who wish to have children in the future, it is recommended to save sperm samples before orchiectomy. This requires a surgical operation beforehand. Talk to your doctor before the orchiectomy.

• Plan the length of hospitalization

  The orchiectomy requires staying hospitalized for a period of one to several days. So you have to prepare for it and plan your schedule.

The stages of the examination

• Anesthesia

  The operation is performed under partial or local anesthesia.

• Cut off the blood supply

  The surgeon will make an incision in the abdomen, above the groin. It is indeed at this level that we find the origin of the blood vessels that supply the testicles, so it is necessary to remove those connected to the testicle to be removed.

• Removal of the testicle

  The surgeon will then remove the affected testicle. The operation is relatively simple since the testicles are outside the body.

• Placement of a cosmetic prosthesis

  Depending on the wishes of the patient, expressed beforehand, it is possible to place a testicle prosthesis during the operation. This prosthesis is purely cosmetic. It will have to be positioned manually during the days following the operation so that it is “fixed”.

Orchiectomy being the removal of hormonal glands, the decision to perform it always comes as a last resort and in cases where the patient’s life is threatened.

Testicular tumor

It is the most common cause of orchiectomy, although this tumor is very rare (less than 2% of cancer cases in humans). This type of cancer can occur at any age. Risk factors include a history of cancer, infertility, family history, prenatal conditions (mother’s diet), or gonadal dysgenesis syndrome (malformed testis). The causes of testicular cancer, however, remain poorly understood.

The testicular tumor is potentially fatal, in particular because of the metastases it causes. Fortunately, it is easy to remove, thanks to the orchiectomy.

Symptoms are changes in the size, size or hardness of the testicles, swelling of the nipples, or unusual fatigue.

Infections, abscesses

An infected or gangrenous testicle will need to be removed so that its infection does not spread throughout the body.

pain

Patients feel pain, especially in the groin area where the blood vessels that supplied the testicle have been cut. This pain is mild and only lasts a few days, but analgesic pain medication may be prescribed to relieve it.

Home Care

We recommend that you stay at home for a few days to optimize recovery after the operation. Baths are not recommended during the healing period, only showers are possible (avoiding touching the testicle and groin area). 

More precise diagnosis of the tumor

An orchiectomy allows the surgeon to analyze the removed testicle to confirm his diagnosis of tumor. There are indeed different types, and each one does not have the same treatment if it has spread in the body beyond the testicle.

Is fertility still possible?

It is quite possible to procreate with just one testicle. However, it is better to keep your sperm beforehand (see section “preparing for an orchiectomy”).

Possible complications

Usually orchiectomy presents no complications, but like any surgical operation certain exceptions are possible. For example, there are traces that appear on the testicle, bleeding, bruising (similar to marks after a blow), infections in the scar, or pain in the thigh. Some of these symptoms can appear well after the operation, so discuss them with your doctor if they appear.