What do we know about long term effects?

Fatherhood:men with hypospadias have just as much chance of becoming a father as any other man, so long as the opening of their penis is not located at the base of the penis, when it may be difficult to ejaculate semen directly into their partner’s vagina.

There is a slightly greater chance, compared with other men, that men with hypospadias will pass the condition on to their sons.

Urinary infections: these do appear to be more common with men with hypospadias. These infections may be related to a narrowing of the urine tube (a stricture) so that the urine does not completely empty from the bladder, or they may be the result of surgery where a skin graft bearing hair was used in the operation. Surgery disrupts the body’s normal protective arrangements and that can lead to higher susceptibility to an infection.

Sexual functioning: some men with hypospadias complain that they dribble semen instead of spurting it out when they have an orgasm. It’s possible this has nothing to do with hypospadias, since the ability to ejaculate forcefully is mostly related to the power of the muscles around the sexual organs rather than the location or size of the urethral opening.

Chordee: some men with prominent chordee may experience discomfort during sexual intercourse in certain positions. However, other men say that chordee actually enhances their sexual pleasure - and that of their partner also.

Sexual orientation: some men have expressed a concern that they are gay or bisexual because they have hypospadias. While a man with hypospadias may be gay, we believe that many men with hypospadias think they are gay or bisexual because they have an interest – sometimes a very keen interest – in the appearance of other men’s penises. This may lead to actual physical contact with other men, sexual or otherwise, but this desire to look at or experience “normal” penises does not necessarily mean a man is either gay or bisexual.