If you have/had a son did you/would you circumcise him? Why or why not?

Question

I thought I would add that it can be painful BUT they do have pain medication.

I also wanted to add that there is not substantial proof that uncircumcised males have more of a chance of penile cancer, or that they can cause cervical cancer.

Answer 1

I have a 10 moth old and we did not circumcise him. i do not feel it is necessary and can lead to infection and deformities if not done correctly. You don't need to pull the skin back to clean the penis they are self cleaning. pulling it back can lead to infection from you fingers and dirt getting in. It's fine to wait till they can clean it themselves.

Answer 2

We did not have our son circumsized. It is not a medically necessary procedure. It it really considered a cosmetic procedure. The argument that it is for health reasons is really a personal preference. It is true that an uncircumsized penis has a risk of infection but so does a circumsized penis. The most important part is good cleaning (as with any other body part) and teaching your son as he grows about good health habits.

Also, if you do decide to have your son circumsized, talk with the doctor who is going to do it first and ensure that pain medication and freezing will be used. The is an antiquated idea that baby do not feel pain and therefore, some doctors choose not to use any medications believing the child will not feel it, will not remember it and it is over fast enough that it does not matter. We now know that this is not true. So be really clear on what is being done to your child before proceeding.

Answer 3

I have 2 sons, neither of whom is circumcised. We were advised by medical profession that there was no advantage to circumcision in terms of cleanliness; it is not true that baby's do not feel pain - this is an extremely sensitive part of the body, and an extremely painful procedure. As with any surgery, there is always the risk of an infection or other post-operative complication. I do not believe that an uncircumcised penis looks "gross" or really any different to a circumcised penis. My eldest son is 8, and none of his friends or their families have ever mentioned anything on the topic. I couldn't even tell you if his friends are circumcised or not, and they run around naked at pool parties - its not something that I take much notice of. When they grow to adulthood and are sexually active, an uncircumcised penis looks the same as a circumcised one when they are erect as the foreskin rolls back in any event. If they are not circumcised, you have to ensure they wash their penis properly, but this is true of any boys.

Answer 4

This is a great question. I am a pediatric nurse and have never seen a boy come in with infection under the foreskin. not saying it doesn't happen just saying that the chance of it happening is the same chance of a female getting an infection inside her vagina. As long as it is cleaned like every other part of the body then there should be no problem. I am not and no other boy in my family is circumcised and there has been no problem. I just say don't do it if you are scared or if you think it could get infected. only do it if it is a family thing. if not then don't worry.

Answer 5

Well, here goes nothing. When I found out I was having a boy, my husband and I argued non stop about this. He is circumcised so I thought two things, first gross, because I had never seen a man who was not circumcised, and I thought he should look like his dad. Now, having said that, I am a woman and I have no penis, but I sure as hell wouldn't' let any Dr. cut the clitoris from my daughter. Once I really listened to my husband on his reasoning, and spoke with tons of people with sons, and my pediatrician, I can tell you I am glad I didn't mutilate my son. And yes it is referred to as mutilation. In the US, more women get infections than men, so do we remove the labia and clitoris, no. So why continue with a tradition that isn't a part of my personal religion? Don't know, so I didn't and now that he is four months old, I can not even imagine having wanted to cut tissue from his body unnecessarily. Good luck, and make your decision based upon your husband and your ideals, you will be the one explaining your decision to him, not me or anybody else. Also, somewhere, the obligatory "They" say that 50% of men are not circumcised, but i kind of stopped listening to "they" a month or so ago anyway!

Answer 6

I do have a son age 21 now and yes I did have him circumcised at 24 hours old. I was there with him while it was done and yes they do feel the pain. I did this painful thing to him for one reason and one reason only. As a geriatric nurse I have seen too many men who were not circumcised go through the pain of an infected foreskin. To many times these men have died because of this infection. A foreskin MUST be pulled back and cleaned daily, or there is serious risk of infection, both when they are small babies wearing diapers and old men wearing diapers. When they are old they do not do this themselves.

Answer 7

I did circumcise both my sons, but 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

If you choose not to circumcise you do run the risk of your son needing one later. 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.

From my personal experiences 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 8

I did not have my son (7 months old) circumcised. It was a decision I went back and forth on as soon as I found out I was having a boy. My husband is not circumcised and that was my main reason for not cutting my lil one (And it does not look weird or gross!! I didn't know he was uncirc'd for 6 months!). Also, out of the research I did, I found that there was no significant medical reason pro or con, especially if you teach proper hygene. So I decided not to do it. Plus-- my insurance wouldn't cover it and we were strapped for cash at the time!

Answer 9

With an uncircumcised penis, there is a greater risk of infection. I used to babysit a little boy who went through infection after infection. That poor little boy screamed when it was diaper changing time. The foreskin must be pulled back to ensure cleanliness. (Think belly button lint and the like and what else will be in the diaper.)

I do have a son and he was circumcised. They swabbed the end of his penis with a deadening agent before hand. So the pain is not that great and he will not remember it.

Also, I am a Christian and if it is good enough for Jesus, it's sure good enough for my son.

Answer 10

I wouldn't because I feel that as a woman I don't have a right to. Besides I've been to a Bris...yeah they have pain meds...Would YOU put your baby through that pain? If I would have had a son, the circumcision decision would be made by his father.

Answer 11

I have a son, and yes i had it done for him, I know different ethnic backgrounds differ on this issue, but I am a nurse and you would not begin to imagine the infections and health related issues that arise when boys/men are not circumcised. Its extra skin anyway, and if not properly cleansed and dried when bathing, urinating and later on when sex comes into the picture if not properly cleaned it can cause major infections, its best to do it when they are newborn the longer you wait the worse it is.