Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before Adult Hypospadias Repair Surgery

Most men are born with a penis that looks completely normal and healthy, however, this is not always the case. There is a condition in the male species that is most often fixed when the male is still an infant or a young child but can be lived with up until adulthood. The condition is known as hypospadias which is where the opening of the urethra is not at the tip of the penis where it normally should be. Doctors do not know yet what exactly is the cause of hypospadias even though it is a fairly common condition that affects just about every 1 in 200 boys.

It cannot be seen on an ultrasound, so it is found during an exam right after the male child is born.The condition causes the penis to not look normal and causes it to not work the way that it is supposed to work either. Most parents who hear that their child has the condition choose to get the issue taken care of while they are still infants as it is a fairly quick surgery and when done as a baby, they will not be able to remember it for the rest of their lives.

 However, some parents are not given all the correct information or choose to leave the condition alone and allow their child to make the decision as to whether or not they want to get adult hypospadias repair surgery when they are grown up and can make their own decisions. If you are one of the men that live with hypospadias and are ready to get adult hypospadias repair, below are some questions you should ask your surgeon before going into surgery so that you can be as informed and prepared as possible.

If men choose not to get the surgery done, can they have a sexual life and have children?

The good news is that even though a man with this type of birth defect may not have a perfectly shaped or functioning penis, it does not hinder every part of their lives. A man can have a normal sexual relationship and can have children with or without the surgery being done. If the issue is severe enough, intercourse can be more difficult meaning you should get it treated so as to live a life as normally as possible.

How does it affect urinating

While a male with hypospadias can still urinate, not getting it repaired can cause it to be more difficult to urinate easily and there is a higher chance of being unable to urinate standing up. Getting it repaired, even as an adult, can make it possible to urinate easily standing or sitting down.

How long does the surgery take and is it inpatient or outpatient

Thee surgery repair typically takes 2-3 hours in an adult male and it is an outpatient surgery meaning they can go home as soon as they wake up after surgery as long as there are no complications.

What is the recovery time after surgery

After surgery, the male may not be able to urinate on his own for a few days to a week. They will more than likely be discharged with a catheter, pain medications, and a possible nerve block to help block pain immediately after surgery is over.

There will be a gauze that will fall off two days after surgery, at this time you can bathe in the bath while keeping the catheter in and making sure to not wash the penis directly.

You will need to rest and recover for about a week before resuming life with light activity before moving onto strenuous activities.