The testes develop inside the abdomen during foetal life and migrate out through the muscles of the abdominal wall to enter the scrotum soon after the eighth foetal month.
Sometimes, this descent is delayed and the testes may lie, somewhere along the path of descent but not in the scrotum.
Usually they will descend of their own accord to take up residence in the scrotum.
At birth, 4 per cent of full-term and 30 per cent of premature infants have undescended testes. By late infancy and early childhood this figure has dropped to 2 per cent.
Unfortunately, in many cases, the problem is not one of non-descent but of mal-descent, that is the testes come through the abdominal wall but instead of entering the scrotum they turn upwards to lie in a fold of skin in the groin known as the superficial inguinal pouch.
These mal-descended testes will never enter the scrotum unless placed there by operation. Sometimes the diagnosis can be in doubt because a firm band of muscle attaches to the testes and spermatic cord and this can constrict up into the groin.
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