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Our infant is now 8 weeks old.

When his legs are joined together the scrotum hangs through them and below the legs (can be seen below his bum). The doctor says it's fine but others who've seen him say he has a larger scrotum and we need to consult someone.

I dont know what problems this might signify and what other questions I should be asking the doctor?

Does this reduce over time ?

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    I'd concur with others, if you don't feel comfy with your doctor ask for a second opinion. It never hurts, and unless others are medical professionals they are just stating their observations.
    – MichaelF
    Commented Jul 1, 2011 at 15:48

4 Answers 4

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Why should this be a problem?

If you're really concerned, just get another doctor's opinion...

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My philosophy about medical questions goes something like this:

  1. If I'm asking the internet, I should at least call the doctor.
  2. If the doctor doesn't take the question seriously, find a new doctor.
  3. If the doctor IS taking it seriously but I'm still concerned, it's time for a second opinion.
  4. If a doctor is upset/concerned that I got a second opinion, it's time to find a new doctor. Doctors are people, yes, but they're also professionals and should be sufficiently comfortable with their medical judgment that they're fine with patients/parents getting a second opinion.
  5. If I'm comfortable with my doctor's assessment of the problem, I have to figure out what techniques are most effective at getting wannabe-doctors off my back.

My philosophy about non-health care professionals goes something like this:

  1. Opinions are like...well, you know what. Everyone has one. Doesn't make you special.
  2. If it's something life-threatening and someone else thinks I should be taking it more seriously, I call the doctor. Sure, I'm the mom, but I'm not perfect and I may have missed something that the other person may have more experience with than I do.
  3. If it's not life-threatening, I politely thank the person for their input and go about my merry way. Some folks just don't feel good about themselves unless they play doctor for your baby.

As an aside, a baby's genitals are often quite large for a long time because of the mother's hormones. According to this article, a baby boy's genitals may be enlarged for up to three months. Given that your baby is ~8 wks you may have another ~4ish weeks to go. If you truly don't think there's a problem, and would like to put peoples' minds at ease, here is a flow chart to help identify legitimate problems with baby genitalia that might help people "play doctor" enough to set their minds at ease. You'll note that "large scrotum" doesn't even register as an issue, though.

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    Corvus, you seem to be repeating yourself in your various answers. Your philosophy is all right, but I think your answers would be more useful if you focused them on how your philosophy translates into actual, useful advice to the specific situation.
    – Torben Gundtofte-Bruun
    Commented Jul 4, 2011 at 6:20
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    Have to respectfully disagree, @Torben Gundtofte-Bruun. I feel it's dangerous to give medical advice without looking at a patient or their history. Advice I give is consistent with this philosophy. Further, I've experienced judgment from people who think they know everything from reading a few internet posts, and hate to see the same thing happen to others. I'd rather give advice that helps a parent figure it out, than just pretend I know the answers and practice medicine without a license, especially when the parent seems to be getting grief from laypeople.
    – Corvus Melori
    Commented Aug 28, 2011 at 19:23
  • +1 Very useful thought process for most medical concerns.
    – Iterator
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 2:23
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The medical term for this condition is macroorchidism. This condition is sometimes related to children with the diagnosis of Fragile X Syndrome. However, macroorchidism is present in children who do not have Fragile X or any other serious medical condition.

Also, some children are born with fluid around the testes that usually reabsorbs with time. Your physician would likely have recognized excess fluid if present.

You should continue to discuss this or any other concerns you might have with your doctor until you are satisfied with the information you have received.

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those "others" you mention? are they doctors? do they just state a fact "it's large"? I believe the doctor was aware of this and he said it's nothing to worry about.

Still, your peace of mind is important too. Get him to another doctor or two, hear their opinions -- research on the internet too.

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