circumcision risks?

Question

What are the risks for not getting a circumcision on your baby boy? Are any of the risks life threatning?

thank you for all the fast answers, I was always made out to believe that it was very dangerous not to get your son circumcised.

Answer 1

There are no life-threatening risks in keeping your baby boy intact, any more than in keeping your baby girl intact. Think about it: Would the human race really have survived and even thrived for millennia if half of us were born with an inherently faulty part?

More than 80% of the world does NOT circumcise. In fact, there are a few countries where it's illegal, like Finland, because both male and female circumcision performed on unconsenting infants are considered to be human rights violations. The U.S. is the only first-world country I can think of where routine infant circumcision is still a socially-acceptable practice, and even here fewer and fewer boys are circumcised every year. Right now it's about 50-50, so if current trends continue, circumcised boys will soon be in the minority. The APA has withdrawn its previous support of routine circumcision and acknowledged that it used flawed research studies when they first recommended it.

Caring for an intact boy is very easy. All you have to do during diaper changes is wipe the outside, just like you'd clean a finger. You don't need to clean underneath the foreskin any more than you'd need to clean the inside of a baby girl's vagina. They're self-cleaning.

Do NOT retract the foreskin. It is fused to the glans to protect it and will remain fused until sometime between ages 3 and 13. This is completely normal. If you or anyone else prematurely retract the foreskin, you will cause small tears in the skin which can lead to infection and scarring. Just leave it alone. It will separate on its own in time, with a little help from your boy as he plays with himself. It doesn't need stretching or any help from anyone outside the penis's owner.

On the rare chance your son gets a UTI or yeast infection, it can be cleared up the same way it could in a girl -- antibiotics. Maybe a little cream. This is another myth that boggles me -- that the same infection that in a girl would immediately be treated with medication, in a boy, is cause for major surgery? Are boys really that weak? I don't think so. Only in the U.S. would a doctor recommend surgery as a first option for something like that.

Boys are not born broken. If he wants to cosmetically alter his body, let him choose that for himself when he's old enough to give informed consent. His body, his choice.

Answer 2

What are the health problems you're experiencing? There are usually more conservative measures - such as manual stretching and steroid creams for a tight foreskin - before resorting to circumcision. Unfortunately, if you're in North America the foreskin is poorly understood and is still viewed by many doctors to be a disease in itself. I see many still recommend circumcision for phimosis which is the inability to retract the foreskin during an erection. My boyfriend has phimosis & it isn't a problem for him. If it isn't a problem for you, it isn't a problem, and if it IS a problem, there are often less drastic solutions. Circumcision may not be a problem for you at your age, but as you age the exposed glans will keratinise (the skin dries out and builds up extra layers) so this can lead to problems and a lack of sensitivity as you age. Don't be afraid to do your own research and seek second opinions before undergoing an irreversible operation like this. If you're in the USA you'll find a lot of people are very supportive of circumcision & don't see it as a big deal, because they've come to accept it as normal. Rates are falling but around 50% of newborns are still circumcised in the USA. The Circumstitions page has a focus on the intact penis rather than on circumcision. The webmaster is not a doctor but he's very learned on the subject & I'm sure would try to help if you were able to share details of what the problem is.

Answer 3

Circumcision is a surgical procedure. While the risks of circumcision-related complications are very low,[59] the complications resulting from a poorly carried out circumcision, post-operative bleeding, or infection can be catastrophic.[60] Bleeding and infection are the most common complications of the procedure, according to the AMA, although in the majority of cases, bleeding is minor and hemostasis can be achieved by pressure application.[7] Kaplan identified longer term complications, including urinary fistulas, chordee, cysts, lymphedema, ulceration of the glans, necrosis of all or part of the penis, hypospadias, epispadias, impotence and removal of too much tissue, sometimes causing secondary phimosis. He stated “Virtually all of these complications are preventable with only a modicum of care. Unfortunately, most such complications occur at the hands of inexperienced operators who are neither urologists nor surgeons.”[61] Infant circumcision may cause problems such as skin bridges, when the cut skin does not heal neatly but attaches to the glans penis instead. This does not commonly require surgical correction; rather, a brief, simple, office procedure may be performed.[62] Meatal stenosis may be a common longer-term complication from circumcision. Recent publications give a frequency of occurrence between 0.9% in Iran[63] and 9% to 10% in the U.S.[64] Loss of the penis itself has been documented. The RACP states that the penis is lost in 1 in 1,000,000 circumcisions.[65]

The American Medical Association quotes a complication rate of 0.2%–0.6%,[7] based on the studies of Gee[66] and Harkavy.[67] These same studies are quoted by the American Academy of Pediatrics.[44] The American Academy of Family Physicians quotes a range of anywhere between 0.1% and 35%.[68] The Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Canadian Paediatric Society bring the AMA results together with other studies with results ranging anywhere between 0.06% to 55%, and bring Williams & Kapila[69] citing that a 2%–10% seems reasonable.[45][65]

Fatal complications have been reported. The American Academy of Family Physicians states that death is rare, and cites an estimated death rate with circumcisions of infants of 1 in 500,000.[68] Gairdner's 1949 study reported that during the 1940's an average of 16 children per year, out of an estimated 90,000, died following circumcision in the UK. He found that most deaths had occurred suddenly under anaesthesia and could not be explained further, but hemorrhage and infection had also proven fatal. Deaths attributed to phimosis and circumcision were grouped together, but Gairdner guessed that such deaths were more likely due to the circumcision operation. [70]

The Jewish practice of metzitzah b'peh has also been implicated in the transfer of HSV carried by the mohel to the child.[71] In either 2003 and 2004, there were a few infants upon whom this procedure was performed in New York City who contracted herpes, one of which died.[72] However, there remains no conclusive medical evidence as to whether it was caused by the mohel performing the procedure or not.[

Answer 4

There are very few risk, people will argue that it is cleaner, but assuming you bathe once in a while, it should not be an issue at all...

In the US circumcision seems to be the norm, but in Europe it is the opposite, most men are not - and people get along just fine over here.

Answer 5

I dont think there are any life threatening effects. But he would need to wash under his foreskin often to decrease the chances of infection. Since almost all american born boys are circumsized he maybe feel different later on as he gets older. and he might want to get it later on, but when he gets it later on hes going to remember the pain. I didnt remember the pain when i got it as a baby. Also when he is showering with other guys, such as a shower after gym class, hes going to feel akward. though another risk is that the doctor might slip and cut off half the penis, since the baby may be moving around and plus its small. but thats a slight chance. i would recommend you gettin his a circumcision.

Answer 6

No unless it gets really badly infected. Its better for hygiene and girls like the looks. However, one looses some sensitivity and can have sex for longer periods of time. I guess the women inverted it=)

Answer 7

None whatsoever. Except Jews and Muslims, most other communities do not follow this practice. They are all living and doing well in their respective fields.

Answer 8

No, there are no risks.
You just have to teach your son how to clean himself properly.

Answer 9

The “medical” reasons for circumcision are for Doctors to make MONEY!!!
Circumcision is “nothing” compared to other much more terrible things that people do for MONEY, when MONEY is involved EVERYRHING is possible, MONEY is the priority not moral values, not ethics, not health, not wrong or right, not even human life, etc. People are selfish by nature. And that is soooo sad. $$$CASH$$$

MOTHERS, the feelings of mothers who observed the circumcision of their babies. Go here if you have the courage:
http://www.circumcision.org/mothers.htm
They do not remember the pain when they grow up, but I wonder what kind of neurological/emotional damage it does to inflict such severe pain to such a young one!

In the US circumcision started to stop boys from masturbating; they will take much longer to reach the orgasm, and the orgasm will not be as intense, but that will not stop them.
Nowadays the “medical” reasons to circumcision are for Doctors to make MONEY!!!

RELIGION--If God intended boys to not have "skin" He would have made them so.
Also, if you examine the bible, lest just say that is full of terrible things that are considered very illegal nowadays, and many of those terrible things are AGAINST WOMEN. Women, how would you like it if those things get legalized?
http://www.nocirc.org/religion/

HYGIENE--Use a new invention, soap and water!!! Women produce much more “smegma”, all kinds of discharges, wetness, and smells; because of physiologic and anatomical reasons, and how would you feel if they cut your vulva lips??? Women, why don’t you answer my question, are you afraid? Women are more likely to get urinary tract infections and no one suggests we surgically alter them at birth to reduce the risks! Just one of many double standards and laws that always treat men worse.

MEDICAL REASONS--No medical reasons. It is not a birth defect! A extremely small chance of a complication do not justify the removal of the foreskin, if so, why don't we remove the tonsils and the appendix when a child is born, and the chance of complications of the tonsils and the appendix is much greater. And what is even greater is the chance of breast cancer so the best thing to do is to remove the breast glands of young girls or at least remove them at the first sign of trouble without trying any alternative treatments first in order to preserve the breast(women, how do you like it now?). And for infections of all the organs, including female organs, use a new invention called antibiotics. Talking about complications, in fact many baby boys die each year from circumcision and related complications.
EVEN if “TRUE phimosis” occurs, instead of chopping it off like barbarians!, use Conservative Treatments like:
-Topical Medication(non-traumatic and non-destructive)
-Dilation and Stretching(non-traumatic and non-destructive)
-Combination treatment(non-traumatic and non-destructive)
-Preputioplasty is the medical term for plastic surgery of the prepuce or foreskin(many methods).
If you want more detail on Conservative Treatments, go here:
http://www.cirp.org/library/treatment/phimosis/
http://www.circinfo.org/alternatives.html
The foreskin can still be tight even after puberty, and it is natural, not TRUE phimosis.
And now they invented a new reason to make money, the risk of STD in uncircumcised men. Well actually uncircumcised men have more protection, but in practical terms that protection means nothing, because circumcised or not, if you have sex without protection and your partner have an STD you will be infected FOR SURE! That means, it is just one more stupid and desperate reason in order to make money with circumcisions.

SEX--Foreskin actually enhances the sexual experience for men because it constantly moves over the head of the penis causing more friction and pleasure. Men will also lose much sensitivity to the glans if circumcised.
Circumcised men will have to deal with discomfort and dry glans. Uncircumcised men, pull the foreskin back for a day, and see how it feels against your underwear all day, and see what happens. The frenulum is the G SPOT in men.
The foreskin have those functions: protective, erogenous, sensory, and sexual physiologic. After all, why would you want to lose all of those “Meissner corpuscles”, the same nerve complexes which provide fine touch to the fingertips?
It is there for many reasons, that is how a man should be(it is natural).
If women like it better circumcised because it looks better(strange, not natural) or gives them more sexual pleasure(strange, not natural), then too bad, they do not have the right! All men do not like mutilated vulvas, and all men like breasts with nipples, they do not like mutilated breasts, etc, etc, etc, because that is the way those organs are supposed to be, it is natural. Interesting, isn’t?!!!

If that was a common practice to do that to baby girls, all the women would be in a BIG UPROAR about it(and men too!, men are not like women), but it’s ok to mutilate little boys. The great majority of the ones that agree with circumcision are women for their stupid selfish reasons. Even court cases reported in which mother and father fight because the mother wants to mutilate the son, it is always the mother!. You women should be ashamed to that to your son. Men that are not circumcised, will not get circumcised when adults, they would scream, kick, fight and run, if someone tries to mutilate their privates area, just like you women would run too if someone tried to do that to your labia. Men that where circumcised do not realize what they lost because never had one, and most of them that do realize try to justify it so they do not feel bad about it. Many circumcised men feel very bad emotionally because of what was done to them to such a private area.
It is mutilation of defenceless children in the most private spot, genital mutilation.
It is cruel and barbaric.
It is a human rights violation.
It is not the parent’s decision; it is the parent’s decision if they want to abuse him, rape him, or to kill him? It is the parent’s decision to choose the son religion? How can he chose a religion or his believes, if he is just a baby?
I do not even agree that it is ok if an adult man wants to get circumcised. I think it is wrong, because if a man wants to lose a finger, the Doctor can not do that to him. Think about it, think, think. And by the way, adult men that decide to get circumcised, do it because they know most women like it, they just do it to be more accepted by women.
I think it is just like slavery and all other barbaric acts of the past, it was accepted because it was common practice or tradition, everyone accepted slavery without questioning the facts, but it is not accepted anymore in a modern and fair and civilized society. Circumcision must not be allowed, BY LAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many other reasons not to do it, check it out:
http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/
http://www.cirp.org/library/treatment/phimosis/
http://www.noharmm.org/
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/
http://www.circumcisionquotes.com/boydies.html

Answer 10

my boy is not circumsized, i think "if hes born with it, he can keep it"