Hypospadias
There are many different birth defects that your unborn baby faces while in the womb, and hypospadias is just one of these birth defects. Hypospadias is when the opening of the urethral is not located on the top of the penis. It will appear on the underside of the penis in the most severe cases, but there are different severities of hypospadias and some cases are considered most extreme than others. This defect makes it very difficult to urinate and the more severe the case is the more difficult it becomes to urinate. The downward curve of the penis also does not make urinating easy. This curve in the penis is called chordee, and it becomes more noticeable when the penis is erect.
Hypospadias is not that uncommon, it occurs in one out of every 300 males that are born. The cause of hypospadias is not known exactly but it is believed that there is a reduction of male hormones in the fetus that prevents the urethra from growing any further.
There are treatments that can help reverse some cases of hypospadias. Most treatments for hypospadias involve surgery. This surgery is going to help redirect the urethra to the normal position on the penis. Inserting a tube and recreating a new hole will help to create normal function of the penis.
If the particular case of hypospadias is severe there may be the need for additional surgery. For the most part the surgery is going to be an outpatient procedure. Children affected by hypospadias usually are recommended to have the surgery when they reach the age of at least six months old. It’s important that you understand that your child has the ability to lead a healthy normal life.
There are various surgeries to correct hypospadias, and the surgery that your child may need will depend on various factors such as where the urethral opening is, and the general severity of the case.
