Please read the Disclaimer at the end of this page.
What is hypospadias? — Hypospadias is the medical term for a problem affecting the penis. In boys born with this problem, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body, called the "urethra," does not form normally. As a result, the hole that urine comes out of, called the "urethral opening," is in the wrong place (figure 1).
In a normal penis, the urethral opening (the hole) is at the tip of the penis. In hypospadias, the hole can be:
●Close to the tip of the penis
●Somewhere along the shaft of the penis
●Down by the testicles (in severe cases)
What causes hypospadias? — Hypospadias can happen if there is a problem with the hormones that make the penis develop. In most cases, the reason for this is not known. Sometimes, it is related to a genetic condition.
Will my son need tests? — Maybe. If your son has hypospadias, his health care team probably found it during the exam that they did right after birth. Sometimes after finding hypospadias, doctors order blood tests to help figure out if there was a specific cause. They also sometimes order an imaging test called an ultrasound if they cannot locate 1 or both of the testicles. The ultrasound can show where the testicles are and whether they look normal.
Does hypospadias cause problems? — Hypospadias can make the urine stream point in an unusual direction. Boys with severe hypospadias that has not been corrected might have to sit down to urinate.
Severe hypospadias can also harm a boy's ability to get a partner pregnant when he grows up. That's because severe hypospadias can cause problems with erections and how sperm get into the vagina during sex.
Boys born with hypospadias sometimes also have an "undescended testicle." That's when 1 of the testicles stays in the belly instead of dropping down into the scrotum (the sac between the legs).
How is hypospadias treated? — Treatment is not always needed. Boys with mild hypospadias can often urinate normally, although their urine stream might point in a different direction than it does in other boys. Boys with mild hypospadias can usually also have sex normally when they grow up.
In boys with more severe hypospadias, the main treatment is surgery to create a new urethra that has an opening in the right place. This surgery is usually done when the boy is about 6 months old. Some boys need more than 1 surgery to repair the hypospadias.
In boys who might need surgery, it's a good idea to delay circumcision. That way, surgeons can use the skin that would normally be removed during a circumcision to rebuild parts of the penis.
