Cryptorchidism and Hypospadias in a Cohort of 195 Boys with Hypospadias: The Role of Maternal Factors and Neonatal Growth Measurements

BACKGROUND Preterm delivery and low gestational birth weight are considered to be strong predictors of urogenital malformations, including cryptorchidism (undescended testes) and hypospadias. However, there is no clear association between intrauterine growth retardation and the development of the different urological congenital malformations. The aim of this study is to investigate whether fetal growth restriction was a risk factor for undescended testes and hypospadias. MATERIALS AND METHODS Males with hypospadias born alive between 2010 and 2014 were studied. The associations of birth weight, gestational age, body dimensions, and fetal growth with the risks of cryptorchidism and hypospadias were assessed. RESULTS Low weight for gestational age was associated with both cryptorchidism and hypospadias. These associations were strengthened by early delivery. CONCLUSIONS The combination of undescended testes and hypospadias represents a special group in the disorders of male genital development. They have shared etiological, environmental, fetal as well as neonatal growth defects that can explain their common nature.