Hypospadias is a urinary birth defect in which the urinary opening is on the underside of penis rather than being at the tip of the penis. In more than 50% of patients with hypospadias, the penis is also bent downwards – this penis curvature is called chordee. Hypospadias affects 1/150 newborn boys and hence more than 1 lakh (1,00,000) kids are born in India with hypospadias every year. Worldwide the incidence has increased probably due to increasing burden of chemicals and pollutants which act as endocrine disruptors (chemicals which block male hormone action) and have contributed to an increasing incidence of hypospadias.

Most of these kids except the ones with very minor glanular hypospadias without chordee will need surgery. The surgery is ideally done between 6months-18 months for age of the child was born with good weight and full pregnancy, if the child is underweight or preterm or has any other major anomalies then it may be better to wait till the child is about 3 years of age.

When and how does hypospadias happen?

Hypospadias results from defective formation of urinary tube during 8-12 weeks of pregnancy and hence if there is an interference with penis development after 12 weeks of pregnancy, hypospadias cannot happen as penis formation with urinary opening at tip is complete by 12 weeks of pregnancy. Between 8-12 weeks of pregnancy, the urinary pipe forms under the penis from the base to the tip under influence of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Along with the urinary tube the various covering layers of the penis such as spongiosum , bucks, dartos and skin also also formed. Hence when the urethra remain short of tip, all surrounding layers also become short.

Is Hypospadias repair surgery covered by insurance companies or corporates for cashless treatment or re-imbursement?

Hypospadias being a penis birth defect is classified as an external birth defect which can be easily diagnosed as soon as the baby is born. Hence, if parents take an insurance policy after the baby is born, hypospadias surgery treatment costs are not covered by most of the insurance companies in India atleast while in USA, UK it is covered under insurance benefits.

The situation is different for some of the corporate insurance group policy holders. Some big corporates like TCS, Reliance, L & T, Siemens etc issue very employee friendly mediclaim policies which cover all medical and surgical treatments for the employees and their families. Such mediclaim policies cover all pre-existing as well as birth defects for their employees and hence hypospadias repair procedure may be covered by the insurance company by some of these companies.

If insurance does not cover the hypospadias treatment, how much does it cost for Hypspadias repair surgery?

If the insurance company is not covering the treatment, then the parents will have to pay the full charges themselves out of their own pocket. For new parents working in a job or middle class environment this may be financially stressful. What really helps is that Hypospadias repair surgery is a planned procedure. It can be done anytime between 6 months-15 months of age giving parents enough time to rally around and arrange everything from money to other resources. The cost of hypospadias repair surgery depends on the type of hypospadias, complexity of repair, which hospital as well as which type of room one chooses to stay in hospital. On a ball park figure it may wary from 75000 Indian rupees for a minor hypospadias surgery in Hypospadias Foundation to even 3,00,000 Rupees for a complex severe hypospadias surgery in a single deluxe room. Hence, it is best that they meet a hypospadias expert or a pediatric urologist early on in first 3 months of baby’s life and then learn everything about the cost of hypospadias surgery, hospital stay, pre-hypospadias surgery tests and then get mentally prepared for the actual surgery.

About Hypospadias Foundation, Navi Mumbai, India