To circumcise or not to circumcise?

Question

I'm having a baby boy on Wednesday and I'm still unsure whether to circumcise or not. It scares me because I don't know how I would take care of a circumcised penis or an uncircumcised one. I'm afraid if I do it, it's going to hurt him and I've seen pictures of how it looks afterwards and it looks really ugly and it looks painful. What do you think on this subject? Why or why not did you choose to or choose not to? also for men, what are the benefits or being or not being circumcised?

My husband isn't circumcised and he thinks there is no reason for it but I keep getting mixed answers about it. I asked also over on the pregnancy forum and women are saying that he might be embarrassed when he's older and that no woman wants a uncircumcised man.

Answer 1

My short opinion is to agree with your husband on this one. He's been uncircumcised and hasn't had any problems, so he knows how to take care of it. There are many points in my long opinion.

First, circumcision is painful (link 1). He will likely get some kind of local anestheic, but anesthesia doesn't work well on infants, so it may/may not work (well) on him. Furthermore, even if the procedure itself is painless due to anesthesia, it will be hell during the 3-5 days of recovery afterwards as the foreskin is forcibly separated from the glans (penis head) leaving the entire area raw (bottom of link 2). And there are risks and complications, as there are with any surgery. Most are minor like infection/excess bleeding, but more severe complications can result (link 3).

There's a statistic that states uncircumcised infants have a higher UTI incidence for the first year than their circumcised peers. This may be true, but it's still lower than the UTI incidence for female infants; furthermore, the risks/complications from the circumcision procedure nearly equals the risk for a UTI, and UTIs are easily treatable with antibiotics. There is also the belief that the uncircumcised penis is somehow more difficult to clean and keep clean, when in fact this isn't true if one knows what to do (link 4). Proper hygiene minimizes/eliminates most problems associated with the foreskin.

In actuality, only about 5% of uncircumcised guys have any medical problems with their foreskin (and only a fraction of that require circumcision). Conversely, generally between 2-10% of circumcisions result in some kind of complication. So the risks in either direction are usually fairly similar.

Recent studies indicate that circumcision might decrease the rate of contracting HIV. Interestingly another study says proper and prompt genital hygiene essentially negates this benefit; with good hygiene, there's no significant difference between a circumcised and uncircumcised man in regards to getting HIV (link 5). Also, since there's no cause-effect relationship established, these studies are still in much debate (link 6). There is also no significant difference in getting other STDs with regards to having a foreskin or not.

Furthermore, a recent study has shown that the many nerve endings in the foreskin might contribute to sexual sensitivity (link 7). In addition, several studies indicate that the foreskin may play a role in the sexual satisfaction/pleasure of not only the man, but of the woman as well (links 8, 9, 10).

Lastly, about 70-80% of the world's male population is uncircumcised, and the circumcision rate has decreased to about 60% nationally in the US (with circumcision rates being much lower/higher depending on the state). With more and more guys being uncircumcised, there shouldn't be many/any embarassment issues when your son's an adult.

I've never had any problems with my foreskin and as long as it stays that way, I'm not changing anything. As long as your son maintains good genital hygiene and practices safe sex (when the time comes), he should have no problems with his foreskin. Your husband can attest to that as well probably. But the strongest reason to leave him uncircumcised (in my opinion) is that it's his body and should be his choice, especially if it's not medically necessary. See the remaining links for more discussion and I hope this helped.

Answer 2

The advice most people give is that if the child is going to be around his father then looking like the father is always a good thing. If dad is then have it done.
The advantage to having it done is that there is less risk of infection. However, with proper hygiene infection will not occur.
I have raised two uncircumcised boys without them ever having an infection.
The advantage to not is as you said your impression of the pain.
I say your impression because done at birth studies show that there is no memory of it. As well, babies recover easily from this and you will not notice sensitivity in the area much if any after the dressing is removed.
Another recommendation however, is that if you decide to have this done do not ask to watch. It does look awful and most parents cannot handle it.
Now that I have said that please know that whatever your decision it is the right one. I do not think parents are told that enough. We do the best we can and in both my personal and professional opinion this is an issue of personal preference only and there is no right or wrong (unless of course your religious beliefs play a part but, no right or wrong medically)

Answer 3

Leave him intact. There is no medical reason to circumcise. A few bull reasons for the argument for... -it's cleaner Not really, you have to take care of the wound after. If he's left intact you wash it like you would a finger. You don’t pull the foreskin back, it’s fused there and will remain so until 4-5 sometimes up to puberty. -it looks nicer what grown parent looks at their child after babyhood to say "you have a nice looking penis"? Penises don't look nice, they're utilitarian. If when he’s older and has a partner that doesn’t like it, then that person isn’t right for them -he'll be made fun of in the change room The rate of circumcision is dropping, so by cutting your son is actually going to make him the odd one out. Plus most boys are too embarrassed to go buck naked in the change room anyways. The fear of being small or having a spontaneous erection is more embarrassing than a foreskin -he'll be less likely to get STDs safe sex protects against STD, not being cut -I want him to look like Daddy, because Daddy is Unless daddy gets a regular Brazilian or baby come out with full pubes they won't look the same. By the time they look the same they'll be able to communicate their differences It’s your son's penis, not yours. Let him choose when he can decide for himself.

Answer 4

the best thing to do is just leave the child intact, I was circumsized as an infant, I would have prefered to have been left alone, but back when this was done to me, the doctors just normally went in and done this without asking parents permission, this was over 40 years ago.

I am now in the process of restoration of my foreskin, things are going ok, but this will take me about another 2 1/2 - 3 more years before I am completely restored.

one thing that people do not realize between the intact male and the circumcized male is the sex, the intact male has by far more feeling as the foreskin keeps the glans covered, therefore protecting the glans from drying out and losing feeling. the cut penis will dry out on the glans and eventually lose the feeling, and makes it much harder and take much longer for the male to acheive an orgasm.

the actual number of circumcisions have actually gone down these days, many insurance companies are refusing to pay for the surgery because it's considered to be cosmetic surgery, some states have also stopped paying for circumcisions as well in their public aid program.

do not let the doctors or the hospital talk you into it, because it would actually mean an extra 5-10 thousand dollars for them, and that is all they really care about, and don't let the old "I want my son to look like his father" thing make your decision either, do your research, there are numerious sites out there to get your information from, such as nocirc.org, norm.org and others, there you can really make an informed decision.

good luck, and I hope that you leave this child intact.

Answer 5

I'm not circumcised and happy! Our son is also uncircumcised... my wife says that the son should look like Daddy.

Regarding benefits, etc. Personally, I think that circumcision is a form of accepted genital mutilation. There are some health benefits, though. I recently read that the chance of getting AIDS increases with being uncircumcised. Not an issue for me, but still... In terms of the benefits of being uncircumcised, the penis is more sensitive. At the same time, you have to be more diligent in keeping it clean.

Answer 6

is the father circumsized? usually thats how you judge it.

bad things CAN happen if it's not done well, but usually the chances are rare.

to the person below me, I don't think God is a good basis of judgement. God gave us tonsils and an appendix and sometimes you have to get those removed or death. According to the Bible, circumcision was required for certain people. But if you don't believe in the Bible or God, then that's not something for your consideration.

if circumcision is to occur, the best time is when they are infants because it IS painful, anesthesia doesn't work for that area.

but to look like daddy generally is the reason why or why not.

that's just silly that no woman would want an uncircumsized man, you did, didn't you? The vagina is ugly, but it doesn't stop men from wanting it.

Answer 7

Many people decide on the circumcision question merely based on what the father has done: when potty-training, it's a heck of a lot easier when daddy's penis looks the same as the boy's.

Not have circumcision is just as hygienic as circumcision, plus it supposedly makes a man more sensitive (good or bad? your decision)

On the other hand, babies undergo a lot of procedures that are less than pleasant (i.e. immunization shots) and they won't remember it when they get older.

I don't have a personal opinion. When I have children I will probably decide based on what my husband has done.

Answer 8

It's truly a personal decision between you and the father. A few things to think about: if dad is circumcised you may want to so they 'look alike' in the future. You can also make a point of asking both the staff at the hospital before you leave and your family doctor at the baby's checkup for tips on care. I do know that it's far less traumatic and less painful to have a newborn circumcised than it is if there's major problems (infections repeatedly) for a 4-5 or even 15-16 year old to have to have it done... also extremely embarrassing.

Answer 9

ok I'll give you actual facts and my personal opinion.

I would say definetly have him circumcised. There have been many studies and It has been nearly proven that circumcision prevents urinary infections in people, especially babies.
there will also be none of that filth that collects under the foreskin and is a hell of a job to clean. As a kid he probably won't. It has also been proven that circumcision prevents against STDs and HIV. nothing he needs to get at an older age. Many boys also have to suffer with a too tight foreskin which will feal very uncomfortable. Most boys are circumcised so if he is ever in a locker room for gym class or something he wil not be teased becuase of his "abnormal penis". It also looks alot better without the foreskin.
This will be a little painfull for him but they will numb him and it is alot better to get this done as a baby rather then an adult.

Be nice to your son and get him circumcised.

Answer 10

Not.

There's no medical reason for it. If something goes wrong, it can literally destroy the genitalia. And it's cruel; the baby is tied to a board to keep him from squirming and leaves him with a 3rd degree burn. How is this good for a child? If it weren't a common practice, we'd be prosecuting it as a vicious crime.

You take care of it the same way you take care of every other part of a baby: Keep it clean and dry. It's what the body was meant to have.

I'm a man, circumcision was not my choice, and it's not the choice I would have made. Benefits of not being circumcised? I'll never know.