Boys circumcised...what was your deciding factor?

Question

I decided not to circumcise my son. It was a difficult decision, but after awhile I realized that my only apprehension to leaving him naturally was about his possibly being rejected in a one-on-one situation with a girl in high school. It seemed superficial.

Since the American Association of Pediatrics no longer supports any health benefits to cicumcision...why do I still question my decision?

I worry about him in the shower room when he's older, but it seems crazy to cut something off just because we've always done it as a society.

He's 3 now...Any advice?

Thanks for bringing that up, Scott...the less sensetivity thing...I couldn't bring myself to take that away from my kid.

Answer 1

I didnt either but thats because his daddy isnt "cut" and neither are any of the men in my family. Its isnt a medial neccessity I didnt want to put him thru the pain. And FYI any encounters with girls wont be a problem, when the penis is erect it comes out of its "hood" and looks like a circumcised penis. I just worry that I dont clean it right but during one of his Dr visits I asked and the nurse walked me thru cleaning it properly which was very simple.

Answer 2

What is done is done...I don't know if I would circumcise a three year old boy...but it is definitely healthier for males to be circumcised. I have been researching circumcision for a friend of mine...it seems like there are more reasons to do it than ever before. Not only does it prevent penis cancer, it even helps prevent cervical cancer:

A good listen on NPR:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1141513

And the risk of a later circumcision appears high, my younger brother needed a circumcision later in life and that wasn't fun for him and took almost a month to heal....compared to my boys they healed up in a week.

As you can guess I'm glad I circumcised my boys....men seem to like being circumcised. And, talking to my girlfriends I know women expect them to be circumcised. I've only had one uncircumcised boyfriend and he was pretty embarrased about it, not to mention it was the only time I ever got yeast infections. Its too bad there is so much fear mongering out there...its a pretty simple procedure and well worth it. Some other interesting health benefits :
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15593753/
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/fishman/2006/circumcision.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/conditions/12/13/hiv.circumcision.ap/index.html
There is actually evidence of more sexual dysfunction in uncircumcised men:
http://loveandhealth.worldgroups.com/Article.cfm?Topic=2&SubTopic=30&Article=171
Lots of love,
Sara
[e-mail]

Answer 3

I'm from Germany and now live in America and I do not have circumcism. During love making you can't tell it is uncircumcised and my girlfriend loves it. You don't have to worry about him in the shower there is usually a good mix of cut and uncut men on a team. If you are hit there it also hurts less so it is better with uncut but still bad.

Only thing is you have to clean it sometime cut can get away with being lazy.

Answer 4

The only thing I can say is that I was a nurse assistant for 13 years. There was a older man who came in to the nursing home and he hadn't been taking care of himself. They had to circumcise him because of this. Both of my boys are circumcised and I wouldn't have it any other way. When they hit a certain age, you no longer help them bathe and that is when the trouble starts. My oldest son kept telling me he was ( pulling back the skin and cleaning) but he wasn't and he ended up in the doctors office and was circumcised at a late age. The doctor told me it was easier under the age of 5 because they don't remember.... It is cleaner now and in old age.....

Answer 5

Being circumcised myself I can tell you that there is less maintenance and I think it looks cleaner but only because it's mine and it's pretty much the only penis I see. On the other hand I wonder if I have lost sensitivity due to not having a flaccid sheath. Your call either way though.

Answer 6

Good for you! ANd moreso for yor son!

I actaully asked my mom if my INTACT 14 y.o. brothers ever got teased in the locker room. They play Lacrosse, Football and wrestle on school teams. They live in the midwest.
She actually asked them while we were on the phone!-0 They said no and that you don't comment on other guy's junk.

As far as looking like dad (previous poster, not original.) If your husband had a leg amputated, you wouldn't cut off the baby's leg to "make him look like daddy." You also wouldn't sculpt your daughters labia to look like yours. You TALK TO YOUR KIDS! and explain that daddy had surgery on his penis. Most kids notice the size and the hair, not the missing foreskin. Those that do notice are more apt to think "poor daddy. He's missing the best part." than "gee i wish some doctor had ripped my prepuce off shortly after i was born."

My advice, leave it be, explain what others are missing, don't retract him. he will figure out how to clean himself after he is old enough to naturally retract, which may not happen until puberty.

Answer 7

Sexual effects of circumcision:
The American Academy of Pediatrics states "a survey of adult males using self-report suggests more varied sexual practice and less sexual dysfunction in circumcised adult men. There are anecdotal reports that penile sensation and sexual satisfaction are decreased for circumcised males. Masters and Johnson noted no difference in exteroceptive and light tactile discrimination on the ventral or dorsal surfaces of the glans penis between circumcised and uncircumcised men." The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) states "The effect of circumcision on penile sensation or sexual satisfaction is unknown. Because the epithelium of a circumcised glans becomes cornified, and because some feel nerve over-stimulation leads to desensitization, many believe that the glans of a circumcised penis is less sensitive. Opinions differ about how this decreased sensitivity, which may result in prolonged time to orgasm, affects sexual satisfaction. An investigation of the exteroceptive and light tactile discrimination of the glans of circumcised and uncircumcised men found no difference on comparison. No valid evidence to date, however, supports the notion that being circumcised affects sexual sensation or satisfaction."

Infant circumcision has come under increasing discussion in recent decades. The American Medical Association states that medical associations in the US, Australia, and Canada do not recommend routine “non-therapeutic” circumcision, which it defines as the non-religious, non-ritualistic, not medically necessary, elective circumcision of male newborns. According to the AMA's 1999 literature review, in the US when parents choose elective circumcision for their child, it is largely because of social or cultural expectations, rather than medical concerns. A 2001 survey questionnaire found that 23.5% of parents listed 'health reasons'. Proponents of genital integrity condemn all elective infant circumcision, religious or secular, as a form of male genital mutilation that they consider comparable to female genital mutilation. Some argue that there are medical benefits in the procedure. Circumcision may be needed to treat chronic inflammation of the penis, and penile cancer. Some physicians recommend circumcision to treat phimosis, while others recommend the other effective treatments for this condition.

Answer 8

Though most of the religious and health reasons have gone by the board, in making a choice to not circumcise you must make sure you instill the knowledge that the skin must be kept clean inside and out.

Answer 9

1

Answer 10

Quoting a previous persons post "a survey of adult males using self-report suggests more varied sexual practice and less sexual dysfunction in circumcised adult men."

If it is true that circumcised men have less sensitivity, then the above sentance explains a lot. Think about it, there are tons of men who have premature ejaculation and the above sentance shows that more often men who are not circumcised have these types of dysfunction.

Most women want their men to last in bed. Dont want your son labeled a minute man! :)

Also, if not cleaned regularly the odds of STD's and bacterial infections increase dramatically. So why even chance that?

Good luck to you!