Should my son be circumcised?

Question

My son is 2 years old and has had 2 penis infections(not due to poor hygine).The first one was very bad and his penis turned an ugley deep purple.Our docter suggested that my husband and I get him circumcised.I don't think circumcision is right to do to a child or a man for that matter,but I'm not sure how I feel about getting my son done for medical reasons?
Some other peoples veiws on this might help me to make up my mind.My husband said to get it done as from a males point of veiw it would be horrible for a male to go through life having penis infections. Also our son is in pain when he has an infection there and it's not always nice to look at..

Answer 1

Yes, your son should be circumcised, and here is why I have read a few other posters and from a medical point of view, yes keeping it clean helps a great deal, however it sounds to me that he may be prone to infections, and since they are painful you may want to take that into affect to help him out more than your own pride of keeping a man intact. As for losing feeling, I can let you know personally I have not problems with feeling anything, infact i think that you feel more sensations than when your not circumcised. Keep in mind as well that it is always better to have this procedure done why they are young the odler they get the more complications that could take place. Listen to your Husband!!! trust that he knows what is best especially for the little tike in that area, b/c if you knew what it felt like to have an infection from your penis it is not pleasant.

Answer 2

Yes it is true that I don't agree with circumcision,I do not have a medical education and I do not know your sons medical history however,it does not disqualify me from forming an opinion and making a suggestion.Doctors are very quick to suggest a circumcision,easy money ,very quick to do and it will be so long before the poor boy can complain.Please do as most of the others have said,seek a second or third opinion.If there is no other way out then I would reluctantly say yes have it done but,not befor exhausting all other options

Answer 3

Can he retract easily? If so is he able to pull back and wash regularly? Usually retraction takes till around three years old or older. Until the foreskin separates from the glans there is no cavity to collect germs in and that is the normal state at two. However it is not unknown for a child to be able to pull back at two. I remember the son of friends of mine got an infection at that age but was fine once he was taught to pull back and rinse it off in the bath or shower. Did you or anyone try to retract the foreskin at some stage earlier? That can cause damage if the foreskin is not already naturally separated and that sort of damage is the main cause of infections in young boys. I have heard of misguided medical staff trying to do this to young boys and causing irreparable damage.
Circumcising at some ages can cause psychological damage. So be very careful. I'd make sure he is washing regularly if possible and give it a bit longer to see if the infections cease.

Answer 4

You could ask for a second opinion. If a doctor is recommending a circumcision you should listen to him instead to us. We don't know your child's full medical history and certainly not enough about his condition to be able to provide a good answer. Furthermore, many of the answers you get are not medically educated, but emotionally given by people with very strong feelings against circumcision.
Do what's best for your son's health. That answer has to come from the doctors that lnow your son and his conditions, not from a bunch of strangers with an agenda.

Answer 5

i'm 30 years previous and that i'm no longer circumcised (nor have I ever needed to be). i does no longer have my boys circumcised via fact there is not any scientific reason to try this and in the event that they pick to be circumcised they'd consistently pick that as quickly as they're sufficiently previous. that's their physique, no longer mine and that i discover it no longer likely that they'd pick to have component of their dick decrease off basically via fact many people do. till that's component of your faith, circumcision fairly makes no considering the fact that. Any verify that could stress a surgical treatment on a newborn via fact they think of it seems gross is a terrible individual, era! it is not their precise to verify on how somebody elses "deepest areas" ought to seem and easily an fairly superficial ignorant individual would pick to do some thing like that for that reason.

Answer 6

Yeh, I dare say you have been too rigourous in your attempt to keep your son "clean". Soaps tend to cause infections by killing the good, protective bacteria which inhabits the region. You have probably experienced such infections yourself ... Yeast infections are almost pandemic among women. But do we cut off their "bits"?

Children often get ear infections from too vigourous attempts to clean ... but do we likewise amputate their ears?

I'm curious about your son's being able to retract at two years of age. Was this facility encouraged by either you or by his paediatrician, or did it happen all by itself? Often the separation of the foreskin from the glans does not occur until much later.

As has been mentioned, bubble baths are a no-no, as the soaps tend to get into body cavities which resist rinsing.

If the protective bacteria has been killed off, you need to reinhabit the region ... and a good source of the friendly stuff is good old plain yogurt. Some people eat the stuff, but a more direct method of reinstalling healthy bacteria is to smear yogurt directly upon the glans and the inner foreskin. That, of course, after first eliminating the yeast infection. Ask your doctor about that.

Answer 7

It's odd that he's getting so many infections. Are you sure you're cleaning correctly? Make sure, if his foreskin already slides back, to slide it back and wash it with soap, AND don't forget to rinse off the soap. If his foreskin still doesn't slide back make sure to rinse off the tip just to make sure no soap remains there.

Another question, is the infection actually in the foreskin, or could this be a UTI caused by other means? Because circumcised boys can also get UTIs, and they're usually caused for other reasons. Try to research other possible causes; some guys just have frequent UTIs; John F Kennedy was one, ha.

And read the following links. It just strikes me as odd that he's getting them; I never had any. Make sure the soap you use isn't too strong, too.

Answer 8

No! Circumcision is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Would you consider cutting off any other body part under similar circumstances? As soon as he is potty trained, the problem will clear up. And can you imagine how much it would hurt him in the meantime to have a dirty diaper with a raw incision on his penis? It will hurt a lot, and he will pull on it to try to stop the pain, and that will make it even worse.

There is some useful information at http://www.cirp.org/pages/parents/ although it doesn't address your particular problem in detail.

Answer 9

If you get him circumcised he will lose sensitivity to his penis

I think that you, as a parent should keep your son clean under his foreskin every time you bathe him, with baby soap and water then rinse.

You may be keeping your son clean in the outer area but under the foreskin is not keep clean and when he grows up and learns to bathe himself you can teach him to do it himself.

I think that you should wait and I believe that the problem can be corrected.

Your baby would feel great pain being circumcised at this age. If the problem returns then you may have to do it. (Hoping that the problem will Not Return)

Good luck!

Answer 10

Foreskins do not cause infections. Infections usually result from improper care....often from overzealous cleaning or long exposure to harsh soaps (bubble baths).

Here are two excellent articles that might help you set your mind at ease.
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/circumcision/against-circumcision.html

And
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/circumcision/protect-uncircson.html

A circumcised baby/child is prone to many more problems than an intact one is. Not to mention the sexual harm that is done when the foreskin is cut away. A recent study concluded that the foreskin is in fact the MOST sensitive part of the penis.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06685.x

Good luck to you!
T