Hypospadia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hypospadia - Essay Example When the opening is located in the shallow channel of the penis close to where the shaft meets the head, this form is Coronal hypospadias. When the opening of the urethra occurs anyplace along the underside of the shaft, this is understandably known as Penile shaft hypospadias. The least frequent type of hypospadias is Perineal hypospadias where the opening of the urethra occurs below the penis’ shaft, most commonly affecting the scrotum. All four types of hypospadias combined is still a rare birth defect. Less than one percent of males, one in 250 births, are affected by hypospadias (Retik/Borer, 2002). The causes of the birth defect are yet to be fully understood by the scientific and health care communities. It is commonly acknowledged that treating pregnant women with progesterone and other hormones could increase the chance that their son is born with the disorder. If the woman’s body experiences hormonal imbalances or if the levels of hormones in her body fluctuate greatly during the early period of pregnancy, this could cause the testes of the fetus to fail to manufacture sufficient amounts of testosterone. This hormonal imbalance could also cause the inability of the fetus to react to testosterone. Both situations increase the possibility that the fetus will develop a host of genetic disorders including hypospadias. Symptoms of hypospadias in its mildest forms are not readily apparent, particularly in the case of newborns up to children of school-age. Beyond this age, if the disorder is not corrected with surgery, males will often learn of their condition after they complain to a doctor that their urinary stream is consistently uncontrollable, spraying in random directions. In the case of severe hypospadias conditions, males are unable to urinate when standing. Teenage males with hypospadias experience a higher likelihood of their testicles remaining un-descended following