Hypospadias refers to a congenital condition in which a male child's urethral opening is located on the penis, but not at the tip.

Usually, corrective surgery is performed within the child's first year. But adult men with corrected hypospadias are often self-conscious about the appearance of their penis. 

A recent Journal of Sexual Medicine study suggests that female sexual partners are not concerned.  

Swiss researchers asked 105 women between the ages of 16 and 45 to view twenty photosets of male genitalia. Half of the men had corrected hypospadias. The other half had been circumcised. (The researchers chose circumcised penises, as they more closely resembled surgically corrected ones.)

The women rated the circumcised penises as the most "normal-looking." But those with corrected distal hypospadias were considered just as normal-looking. Proximal hypospadias were considered less normal-looking. 

The women also ranked eight aspects of penile appearance in order of importance. "General cosmetic appearance" was rated as most important. Location of the urethral opening was last on the list.

Clinicians might consider using this data when counseling patients, the authors wrote. Having some insight into a woman's perspective might help men with corrected hypospadias feel less self-conscious. 

More information on this study may be found here. 

It may be a year away, but it's not too early to start thinking about the 20th World Meeting on Sexual Medicine! The conference will be held September 22 - 25, 2016 in Beijing, China.

The meeting website has been updated to include a welcome message and offerings for attendees. You'll also find an introduction to Beijing, practical information about traveling there, and the names of committee members who make the meeting possible.

While you're browsing the website, be sure to check out the overview of past world meetings, starting with the first in 1978, held in New York. Since then, we've been around the globe!

We hope you'll join us in China!