The meatus (mee-AY-tus) is the opening in the penis where the urine (pee) comes out. In meatal stenosis (mee-ATE-ul steh-NO-sis), the opening is too small.

Meatal stenosis is usually noticed when a male starts to toilet train and has trouble aiming their pee into the toilet. Meatal stenosis can cause a child to pee upward, need to pee a lot, or take a long time to get all of the pee out.

Your child has meatal stenosis. If needed, a procedure can make the opening where the pee comes out bigger. A urologist (a healthcare provider who specializes in the urinary system) can help you decide on the best treatment for your child.

Follow your healthcare provider's instructions for:

• Making an appointment with a urologist
• When to follow up

Your child:

• Has pain when peeing
• Has trouble getting the pee out
• Is bothered by the meatal stenosis

What causes meatal stenosis? Meatal stenosis can happen when an irritation causes a scar to form at the meatus. This makes the opening for peeing smaller. The irritation may come from rubbing against a diaper, an injury to the penis, or having a catheter (a plastic tube that lets the pee flow out of the body) in place for a long time. Meatal stenosis is more likely to happen in males who are circumcised (had the skin that covers the end of the penis removed).

How is meatal stenosis treated? The treatment for meatal stenosis is a simple procedure to make the opening of the meatus bigger. The urologist uses medicine to numb the penis or gives general anesthesia to help the child sleep during the procedure. The procedure fixes meatal stenosis for most children.