Hypospadias We were told our son has hypospadias and I am terrified for him to have surgery. He will be between 6-8…

I totally understand- it's a tough situation! One we will most likely be dealing with in a few months too. It absolutely sucks.

@clark- I definitely wouldn't be putting our son through this if it didn't present the high risk for repeated UTIs or complicate his fertility?

Honestly, at that age circumcision is tough to get right too because it's simply a guessing game as to how much skin is too much or too little to take off. It's also a painful procedure in itself. The foreskin has many functions and I would not want to take that important body part from my son to try to fix a mild cosmetic problem.

If you ultimately do decide for surgery- they do not have to use the foreskin! Skin grafts can be made Using skin from inside his cheek.

We have looked for surgeons who are skilled at methods of hypospadias repair, for severe cases, that will spare the foreskin and even reshape it to fully cover the glans if our son is born with hooded foreskin.

And we aren't even sure that we would put him through surgery for a severe case!

I would also agree, that it's purely cosmetic with such a mild case of hypospadias. I would not risk putting my son through surgery for a case of hypo where the opening is still on the glans.

We have spoken to more than a few urologists at this point and have been told multiple times that if their son had a mild case, they wouldn't do surgery.

Such a mild case is not going to affect fertility, and if your son is intact, the foreskin will allow for the urine to flow out normally, and even if he if circumcised, such a mild case would probably just mean learning to aim better while urinating.

Ultimately, if your son isn't in pain and can urinate okay, than he is completely fine the way he is with a mild case of hypospadias.

Op- I STRONGLY urge you to do your research about this. If it's a very mild case like you're describing, many surgeons will recommend NOT to have surgery. Surgery can cause complications, like infection, fistula formation, or stenosis. Mild repairs are solely for cosmetic purposes. I would recommend speaking with, at the very least, two pediatric urologists before you make a decision. But mild cases (and this sounds quite mild) don't impair functioning in any way.

@NAIT I live in Louisiana and I haven't heard any other details about where it will be done or who is doing it. They told us he can't have it until he is 6 to 8 months old.

He has a mild case, it's still on the tip, just at the bottom. They said they can use the foreskin to fix it but I think my SO had it too as a baby. I'm just so worried about him being in pain :(

My first son has it, but it's mild so we choose not to have the surgery. Went to the appointment at the hospital and spoke to the surgeon about the procedure and risks etc. He's 5 now and hasn't had any problems. I was scared of him possibly having surgery, but I would of had it done had it been more severe. My partner also has it mildly with no problems - I didn't even realise ?

What degree of hypospadias does your son have? That's an important piece of the puzzle. My ds will be 18 months old on Saturday and has what was originally diagnosed as a proximal penile, but is now considered penoscrotal, hypospadias. He will be having his third surgery tomorrow?

http://www.drmomma.org/2010/04/hypospadias-surgery-and-circumcision.html?m=1

How severe is your sons hypospadias? Our son is due in June and most likely has a more proximal case where the opening is closer to the bottom of the shaft, near the scrotum.

Most mild cases where the opening is still on the glans or just a bit lower, don't really require surgery. For mild cases it's more surgery for cosmetic reasons than anything else. We have spoken to a few pediatric urologists who have said in mild cases that they would not opt for corrective surgeries for their son.

In more severe cases where it is closer to the base of the shaft or even lower, you could look for a surgeon who is experienced in correction for proximal degrees of hypospadias. If your son is not circumcised you can also look for a surgeon who is experienced in saving the foreskin by using skin from the inside of the boys cheek for any skin grafts. A couple of the urologists we have spoken to have mentioned methods that spare the foreskin and will actually reshape it to cover the whole glans, if our son is born with more foreskin on the top of his penis than on the underside, which is common with hypospadias.

The above article has tons of great information and resources!

Good luck to your son!

All 3 of my boys have/had a hypospadius! In our case, it's genetic rather than a fluke. My oldest son (7) had surgery at 9 months old and it went well. He had some pain the day of surgery but that was it. His dressing fell off in a few days. My second son (2) also had surgery at 9 months. His case was much more severe (his meatus was down by his scrotum). He actually had a little tube (catheter) in his penis after they reconstructed it for 10 days. It gave him bladder spasms and he actually was hospitalized a few weeks after it came out with a UTI. My newest little guy also has it and we already made an appointment to see the urologist but we already know the drill!!

What area are you in? Will you be using a children's hospital?