Penis Aperture Way Off The Mark - Hypospadias

Dr. Larry was to do a circumcision today. He abandoned the procedure from start when he discovered that the neonate had Hypospadias. And it was the worst degree - the urethral opening, rather than being in the normal position at the tip of the penis, was instead located at the ventral (underneath) surface of the penis at the base.

I had to explain things to the confused mum when I resumed duty later that day. The child would need to do a corrective surgery at age 2 years or so.

The problem with Hypospadias isn't so much a threat to life - in fact the child is in no danger at all and wee-wees easily through the abnormal opening. The real issue is the child's ability to impregnate a woman in future. On ejaculation, the semen must be deposited way up the vagina for a good chance of conception. You can therefore imagine now the problem. In Hypospadias, the semen tends to be deposited mid-level and below, greatly limiting the possibility of impregnation.

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