Q: My son is 11 month old and he has undecended testes since birth. Is surgery required, and if yes, how urgently? What are the other options? Is there a threat of impotency at a later age or any other problems associated with it? Please advise.

A:Undescended testes require surgery for correction. The best age to get this done is around 1 year. It is best done by a paediatric surgeon, who is used to operating on babies. There is no medical treatment other than surgery. Delaying surgery can put the testis at risk of damage. Impotence is never an issue. Fertility may be, but that also if both the testes are undescended. With one side problem, even fertility is not of concern.