Congenital penile conditions are conditions afflict the penis right after birth. The keyword here is ‘congenital’ which means that the disease or the health concern with the body is present at birth, and sometimes these issues are called birth defects. You can say that these issues are genetic in nature perhaps caused by difficulties during pregnancy and there are some instances when the actual cause is not known. The severity of problem varies, and there are congenital problems that are mild and there are life threatening conditions as well. These conditions should not be confused with acquired problems that a person can develop due to aging, lifestyle or injuries.

As mentioned, congenital issues can also affect the men’s penis. To be specific, the penis and the scrotum are the parts that face a high risk of developing congenital defects. Here’s a listing of the major congenital defects that every man should take note:

Epispadias

This is a rare congenital defect that targets the opening of the urethra. This is the narrow tube inside the organ where urine passes through. When a person is afflicted by this condition, the urethra will not develop into a full tube, thus the urine will be excreted from a different and abnormal location. The cause is not yet known but it has been noted that this can be due to the improper development of the pubic bone.

Chordee

This congenital defect can be seen in the front curvature of the organ and can be verified if the penis is in an erect position. This condition is caused by the fibrous tissue that can be found on the course of the corpus spongiosum. This is also linked to hypospadias.

Hypospadias

This is a common congenital effect and one in 300 births will show this defect.  In most cases, the defect can be noted at birth. But for the milder variations of this defect, it’s difficult to verify this at birth and may be diagnosed later in life. Just like other penis congenital defects, the causes are not known. But it has been suggested that this defect can be linked to genetics; a boy may develop the condition if someone in the family is known to carry Hypospadias.  Surgery is the best treatment option for this condition and recommended for boys between 6 and 18 months old. Keep in mind that the patient should be circumcised first, just in case a foreskin is required for the surgery.

There are four characteristics that are associated with this congenital defect, and these are listed below:

• There’s a difference in the location of the urethral opening; instead in the tip, it can be found on the underside of the penis and this will exit the organ along the shaft as high as the scrotum;
• Narrow urethral opening;
•  The foreskin is bunched on the topside of the organ and;
• The genitalia may be curved on one side.

Torsion of the penis

This happens when the penis rotates around its longitudinal axis. This is a birth defect and can also develop due to complications related to penis surgery. This is not painful and normally, men don’t pay much attention to the condition especially if the condition does not affect sexual performance. But a correction can be requested by those wanting to get rid of the condition.

Phimosis

This is another common example of congenital defects on the penis, and sometimes will also develop later in life. You have Phimosis if the foreskin is too tight or when the foreskin’s tip narrows and can’t be pulled back when you want to expose the head of the penis. Normally, the condition develops when the boys reach puberty. When this condition develops, the patient will normally feel pain when urinating. The condition is also linked to urinary tract infections and can also affect the skin of the penis. This condition can also develop in older men and when it does, the foreskin may look swollen. There are a number of treatment options available for this condition including the use of creams. Steroid creams can be applied to the affected area once or twice daily for the next 2 weeks. This is your best bet for treatment, owing to its 85 percent success rate.

Buried penis

Buried penis is a term used to describe a number of penile conditions including the obvious ‘buried penis’ which can be noted at birth.  If this is observed it only means that the penis was normally developed but is hidden under fat in the supra-pubic region, the perineum or scrotum. This can be caused by circumcision since the organ may be trapped by the scar tissue and will retract into the pubic fat. This can be left alone and untreated since it corrects naturally, but for severe cases surgery may be required. If this happens to adults, the surgery can be complicated.

Micropenis

When the penis is extremely small even if erect, this is referred to as micropenis. This should not be confused with hidden or buried penis. There’s a standard that is followed to check if indeed a patient has micropenis. If a child age 1 year or above has a penis with length less than 1.9 cm even when erect, then the patient is at risk and should consult with a doctor. One major cause of the condition is when there’s less normal secretion of hormones on the pituitary gland or the testes. Whatever the cause is, the common approach is to inject testosterone in the patients. If done, this can help address the problem and lengthen the penis.

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