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Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Anogenital Distance and Perineal Measurements of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse POP Quantification System
Published on: September 20, 2018
[Relationship between anogenital distance and cryptorchidism in human newborns]
Objective:
To explore the relation of the anogenital distance (AGD) with cryptorchidism in male newborns.
Methods:
This study included 350 male infants delivered in two community hospitals between September 2013 and September 2014. Within 24 hours after birth, a pediatric surgeon measured the AGD of the neonates and determined whether they had cryptorchidism. According to the testicular position, we divided the undescended testes into three types: upper scrotal, inguinal, and non-palpable.
Results:
Totally 39 cases of cryptorchidism were found in the 350 newborns. The AGD of the cryptorchidism infants was significantly shorter than that of the normal neonates ([2.01 ± 0.22] vs [2.35 ± 0.19] cm, P < 0.01), and statistically significant differences remained even when preterm and low birth-weight infants were excluded ([2.32 ± 0.14] vs [2.06 ± 0.19] cm; (2.37 ± 0.17) cm vs (2.12 ± 0.12) cm, all P < 0.01). The newborns with higher-position cryptorchidism had a shorter AGD, though with no significant difference (F = 0.434, P > 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the AGD between unilateral and bilateral cryptorchidism ([1.96 ± 0.13] vs [2.02 ± 0.17] cm, P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Shorter AGD is associated with a higher incidence of cryptorchidism in male newborns. AGD could serve as a potential biomarker for disruption of androgen action during the male programming window period.
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