Hypospadias happens a lot with guys. In some guys, the urethra (tube for urine) ends right at the top of their penis; in other guys, it ends up a little bit lower down or even at the base of the penis. When the urethra doesn’t end at the tip of the penis, it is called ‘hypospadias’. When this happens, sometimes the penis is also a bit bent.
If you have hypospadias (or you had surgery as a child to help it), puberty happens about the same as guys you know who don’t have hypospadias. You go into puberty because your testes are making high levels of testosterone (T) and your body can react to T.
In the Puberty:Outside section, we show a range of body responses to T. When you go back, check out what happens when you are mostly able to react to T. Some changes from T may also have happened before you were born.
Some guys with hypospadias may have a penis on the smaller side. A penis might even look a bit smaller because it is bent, even though it isn’t. Others may have a larger penis. It depends on how your body reacted to T before you were born and other things, too. Sometimes, baby boys might be given some T to potentially help the penis grow.
Puberty & the Penis
During puberty, penises and the genitals grow because the body starts making T and using it. Depending on how your body reacts to T, there may be a lot or a little growth of the penis. For more on penises, sex, orgasms, and taking the wheel in your care, see this and this link.
Some guys with hypospadias might sit down to pee if they find it hard to ‘aim’ with their penis.
Some guys have treatments involving their genitals (surgeries) to try to help this. Others choose to wait until later to see what life is like without surgery. There are plenty of things to think about if you are considering a treatment. However, you and your family should only see the experts in hypospadias surgery, if that is a path you choose. Especially for complex treatments, an experienced surgeon should help you understand the risks and benefits of the different options, and a team—especially a psychologist—should help you through the decision process.