Hypospadias is a condition where the urethra doesn’t go to the end of the penis. (The urethra is the tube inside the penis that urine and semen pass through.) Hypospadias is the second most common male birth defect. In hypospadias, the opening of the urethra can be on the head of the penis but closer to the frenulum, near the coronal margin which is where the shaft of the penis meets the head, or anywhere on the shaft of the penis. Hypospadias can be so mild that a man isn’t aware he has it, or it can be severe enough that the opening of the urethra comes out in the middle of his scrotum or behind it, in the perineum. In more severe cases, hypospadias can cause the penis to curve downward, which is called chordee. Hypospadias can also cause the head of the penis to be somewhat mushroom or helmet shaped.