What Is Orchiectomy?

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Orchiectomy — also called Orchidectomy — is a surgical procedure in which one or both testicles are removed.

The most common reasons to perform this surgery are:

• as a treatment for testicular cancer;
• gender affirmation for transgender women;
• managing advanced prostate cancer (diminishing testosterone production slows down prostate cancer);
• removing damaged testes after a testicular torsion;
• removing testicles that are severely injured and/or are deteriorating (are wasting away i.e. atrophy).

If possible, and depending on the reason of removal, partial orchiectomy may also be an option for those who want to preserve (crucial parts) of their testes and their function.

Another additional issue is fertility. If promising, preservation of sperm cells can be attempted to freeze them for future use in cases where both testicles need to be removed.

After the surgery, and depending on the motive of the surgery, aesthetic and psychological motives can be a reason to opt for a prosthetic testicular replacement.

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