hello all! i noticed a gap in language when speaking about specific urethral variations that seem to pop up a lot. so i decided to coin a few terms for making discussing them easier! constructive criticism is always appreciated!
exterspadias
[pt: exterspadias]
an umbrella term for urethras which protrude past the genital tissue. most common in vulvas. this can include both congenital and acquired causes. possible causes can include:
urethral prolapse/caruncle
scar tissue from IGM, physical trauma, infection, fistula, lesion, genital surgery, and/or frequent urinary tract infection
phallic duplication
urethral developmental differences due to genital and/or bladder variations
synspadias
[pt: synspadias]
a urethral variation in which the urethra protrudes past the genital tissue and is surrounded by a bumpy, uneven texture. appears to be most common in individuals with vulvar hypospadias and low confluence persistent urogenital sinus (PUGS). seems to typically be caused by frequent, chronic, or severe UTI's causing scar tissue to build up over time, creating an inconsistent texture. can also occur due to a plethora of other scar-based causes.
perispadias
[pt: perispadias]
a urethral variation in which the urethra protrudes past the genital tissue and is surrounded by a uniform, smooth texture. appears to typically occur in individuals with vulvas and hyperandrogenism due to the developmental pathway for the urethra growing to compensate a phallus. can also occur due to other developmental differences and/or later in life from urethral prolapse.
thank you to @dhddmods for help with the term coining!
