The reproductive system health issues of adult males are receiving increasing attention, but the reproductive organ diseases of boys are easily overlooked, leading to missed optimal treatment opportunities, affecting children's growth and development, and causing physical and mental harm. Experts say that there are several types of reproductive organ diseases in boys:
1. Occult penis
Concealed penis refers to a boy's penis that is shrouded in the body, with only a small protrusion outside the body. If the skin of the penis is pressed inward with the hand, the penis will be exposed, but once the hand is released slightly, the penis will retract. The main reasons for occult penis include underdeveloped or too short penile skin, or too small foreskin cavity, or the absence of penile skin covering the corpus cavernosum, leading to unsupported retraction of the corpus cavernosum into the body. Boys with concealed penises must undergo corrective surgery at the age of 3-5, otherwise it will affect the normal development of the penis.
2. Phimosis and phimosis
The foreskin is like the outer layer of the penis, playing a protective and lubricating role on the glans. Most boys' physiological foreskin is too long and will heal with the natural growth of the penis, but there are also some men's foreskin that is "too mischievous" and cannot retract to the ideal state, leading to boys suffering from foreskin too long or even phimosis. If an underage boy suffers from phimosis, it can affect the growth and development of his sexual organs. During adolescence, the glans penis is tightly wrapped by the foreskin, which prevents sufficient external stimulation and restricts the development of the glans penis. As a result, the circumference of the glans penis is too small after puberty, which can easily lead to negative emotions such as inferiority and depression in the boy, and affect his sexual pleasure in adulthood. After the foreskin of a patient with phimosis is turned up, it cannot be restored, causing the foreskin to tightly bind to the coronal sulcus, forming an incarcerated phimosis, causing unbearable pain for the patient. In severe cases, the glans may also experience edema and even necrosis due to poor blood flow. Parents should pay attention to whether their son has foreskin elongation or phimosis, and teach their son to clean his lower body more to prevent dirt accumulation.
3. Cryptorchidism
A boy's testicles, on one or both sides, do not descend into the scrotum and remain in the groin or abdominal cavity, known as the cryptorchidism. The testicles fail to enter the scrotum and lose the temperature regulation protection of the scrotal wall. The testicles are in a relatively high temperature environment and their spermatogenic function is disrupted. Ultrastructural changes occur after 1 year old, and after 2 years old, they basically lose their spermatogenic ability. After puberty, the vast majority of cryptorchidism will atrophy. Therefore, males with bilateral cryptorchidism often suffer from azoospermia and infertility in adulthood; Even if it is only unilateral cryptorchidism, it can produce various anti sperm antibodies due to the disruption of spermatogenic function in one testicle, affecting fertility. Therefore, cryptorchidism should be cured before the age of 2.
4. Orchitis
Children are prone to developing mumps, and according to statistics, about 25% of children with mumps can cause testicular inflammation, manifested as scrotal enlargement. The swollen testicles experience increased pain when touched, and occasionally accompanied by symptoms such as chills, fever, and nausea. Failure to treat them in a timely manner may lead to infertility in adulthood, and parents should take it seriously.
5. Hypospadias
Hypospadias is a congenital malformation with high incidence rate. Hypospadias can be divided into penile head type, penile type, penile scrotal type, and perineal type. During embryonic development, the ventral urethra of the penis is not fully closed, resulting in the opening of the urethra at the ventral part of the penis. When patients urinate, the direction of urine flow is not correct, even in the form of spraying. Once parents discover that their child has hypospadias, they should send the child to the hospital for surgical treatment as soon as possible.