circumcised to be or not to be?

Question

My friend is prenant and she has decided to get her son circumcised and I asked her why and she does not know... she says just because that is what we do Can you all help by giving me a list of positives and negatives about being circumsied and a list of not being circumcised...this is really serious and I feel that it will affect the life of her son

Answer 1

I'm uncircumcised and have never been picked on. You have to understand that nowadays circumcision isn't as popular as before. In fact, in some states only about 14% of boys get circumcised. The USA is the last advanced nation to do this surgery.
http://forums.govteen.com/showpost.php?p=3069995&postcount=2

Haha, I just find it funny how many post baseless opinions with no statistics to back themselves; common stereotype in the USA.
It also hurts:
http://www.cirp.org/library/procedure/plastibell/
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9712/23/circumcision.anesthetic/
http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1f21e.htm

And if she leaves him uncircumcised, she should read this:
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/circumcision/protect-uncircson.html

Here are the risks of circumcision.

Overall, both types of guys have about the same levels of satisfaction (uncircumcised guys more by one point or two; see question 17 in link below) but the difference comes it where about half of circumcised guys said they would have rather chosen; I guess that's why circumcision rates are falling a lot (and the USA is the only advanced nation to do it).
http://www.jackinworld.com/library/surveys/survey5.html
http://www.jackinworld.com/qow/q15.html

Less sensitivity / pleasure (due to constant rubbing of the head)
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06685.x
http://www.circumstitions.com/Sexuality.html#sorrells

More difficulty with masturbation (since the already-lubricated foreskin wouldn't be there to rub the head with)
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06646.x

Meatal stenosis (when the urethra opening gets irritated due to constant rubbing and closes up); not found in uncircumcised guys
http://www.drgreene.com/21_1137.html

Higher erectile dysfunction rates
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14979200&dopt=Abstract%7C

Again, less sensitivity
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11956453

Shorter penis (a guy who was circumcised posted about that this morning; he went from 7 to 5 inches) caused by skin pulling it back due to tightness
http://drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&ref=1125
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArmhXebGWe5O6RYIziPL7c7sy6IX?qid=20070515070130AAgFvkC&show=7#profile-info-V0U4aWi3aa

Skin bridges (where pieces of skin attach to the head, like bridges)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=6728346

And those are the major ones. Those are risks; they're not guaranteed, just like the risks for being uncircumcised are not universal. Everyone's different. I've provided you with the links so you can compare the rates and such, some are common, with the masturbation difficulty in the 63% range, while others are less common, like meatal stenosis (around 10%). I guess that's why circumcision is becoming less popular; only the USA is the last remaining advanced/industrialized nation to do it, and our rates are falling (to as low as 14%).
http://forums.govteen.com/showpost.php?p=3069995&postcount=2

As far as STDs go, studies have found it for both ways. Here's one that found that circumcised guys have higher rates, for example:
http://www.menweb.org/msnbcirc.htm

My view is that if you have a lot of partners and practice unprotected sex, you're bound to eventually get an STD, but if you're clean and smart, you'll generally be safe.

As far as HIV/AIDS infections go, when comparing industrialized countries, the USA has the highest level of circumcisions, yet we still have the highest level of HIV/AIDS infections. That's using CIA statistics (uncircumcised Europe and Japan have lower rates):
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2155rank.html

And the American Cancer Society has already said that circumcision does NOT prevent penile cancer.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_Can_penile_cancer_be_prevented_35.asp

As far as cleaning goes, you just pull it back and rub the head. It only takes a few seconds and feels good (you're rubbing the head after all). That's never been an issue for me (and it seems like it isn't for the rest of the world).

Answer 2

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 3

She should consult her pediatrician, and ask him/her what the current guidelines from the American Association of Pediatrics say. That society says circumcision is UNNECESSARY. The American Medical Association agrees.

Despite the old wive's tales you'll get repeated here, the fact is there is NO reputable medical research that indicates uncircumcised men are less hygienic, have more STDs, or get penile cancer.

Uncircumcised men who have UNPROTECTED sex with HIV+ people are more likely to get the disease; but all men who have unprotected sex this way run a risk of getting HIV.
If you use a condom, there is no difference in the risks between circumcised and uncircumcised men.

In the US, the national rate of circumcision has finally fallen below 60%, after reaching a peak of 90% in 1968. Worldwide, circumcision is relatively uncommon, except for Jews and Muslims. About 15% of the world's men are circumcised.

Circumcision reduces sexual sensitivity in two ways - it permanently exposes the head of the penis, so constant rubbing on clothing reduces sensitivity; and it removes thousands of nerves that are contained in the foreskin.

This is a decision parents should leave up to the man once he reaches adulthood. You should not mutilate a perfect human baby just as a fashion statement. With no medical or religious need, circumcision is just plain wrong.

Answer 4

ADVANTAGES OF BEING INTACT:
--Circumcision cuts WAY down on sexual enjoyment for the man due to loss of nerve-rich foreskin. A new study proves conclusively, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that circumcision decreases sensitivity for the man. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06685.x
--Getting cut causes the glans (head) to develop a keratinized layer to protect from rubbing on clothing, further cutting sensation. Many cut men are unable to ejaculate during intercourse and have to finish by hand. Intact men can go all the way.
--nine out of ten women who have had both prefer intact penises: http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/408/60750.html That's really pretty definitive.
--foreskin makes masturbation more fun - and better for your partner to play with.
--Circumcision hurts -- a lot -- when it's done, even if you are too young to remember it. Have your friend look at http://www.cirp.org/library/procedure/plastibell/ -- is this how she wants to welcome her son into the world?
--Circumcision, like other surgery, has a chance of complications. Each year a few baby boys have to have their entire penises amputated and undergo surgery to make them into fake girls. And a few die.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING CUT: Circumcision has NO advantages that are not fictional or only relevant in a few areas
--You can be just as clean if you are uncircumcised. Wash. It's THAT simple. Even if you're cut, you still need to wash.
-- If you're sleeping around, you need to use condoms regardless or you will get diseases.
--Some studies have shown a lower rate of cancer of the penis in cut guys, but this cancer is so rare that it's hard to get a good statistical sample. More boys/men die each year from botched circumcisions than from cancer of the penis.
--The US has the highest circumcision rate in the developed world and also the highest AIDS rate in that group. http://www.circinfo.org/hiv.html

Tell your friend her son will be born perfect -- she has no reason to try to improve on nature, because nature got it right the first time!

Answer 5

I would emplore that you do not circumcise the child.

Circumcision is generally the forced removal (cutting and chopping) of the foreskin from a child without the ability of the child to consent.
Here is a video of the operation. Watch it if you want to learn more. Please do watch it.
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=352478&fr=ybr_sbc
It is not just a little snip here and there. Watch the above video of a circumcision in progress.


The foreskin is the most sensitive part of the penis and therefore very significant during sexual intercourse. Circumcision removes as much as 75% of sensation [ http://www.nocirc.org/touch-test/bju_6685.pdf ].
The foreskin reduces the force required by the penis to enter the vagina. It also increases the sexual enjoyment of the female partner. Here is a study to back this up: http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/ohara/
The foreskin keeps the glans soft and moist and protects it from trauma and injury. Without this protection, the glans becomes dry, calloused, and desensitized from exposure and chafing.
Specialized nerve endings in the foreskin enhance sexual pleasure.
The foreskin may have functions not yet recognized or understood.

Performing circumcision on a child can and does result in the deaths of children due to blood loss and/or failure of the immune system.
It can and does result in very significant scaring.
It can and does result in sexual problems later in life.

The idea that it provides better hygeine is flawed and is simply a matter of performing good genital hygeine. The study that you are less succeptible to aids if you are circumcised is flawed(see link: http://www.cirp.org/news/sydneymorningherald11-06-03/ ). A condom is still required to prevent transmission of STI's.
Studies about the rate of transmission of aids with respect to both male and female circumcision have been conflicting.
A collection of said studies can be found linked from here:
http://www.mgmbill.org/aids.htm
Furthermore:
"The United States has one of the highest rates of male circumcision and also one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the developed world, suggesting that circumcision is having exactly the opposite effect. Conversely, Finland and Japan have some of the lowest rates of circumcision and also some of the lowest rates of HIV/AIDS."
Are you aware that Stallings study also shows that female circumcision also reduces HIV transmission? [ http://www.ias-2005.org/planner/Abstracts.aspx?AID=3138 ]
Do not do it for hygeine issues. It is a trivial task to ensure good genital hygeine.
The vast majority of the world(83%) is not circumcised.
There is no good reason to perform male genital mutilation.


See this site:
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/

Here is a tracking of circumcision news articles which is kept very up to date:
http://www.cirp.org/news/

Have a look at some of these websites:
http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/
http://www.noharmm.org/
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9712/23/circumcision.anesthetic/


Have a look at these videos:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=137650&fr=ybr_sbc
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1736954830543671382&sourceid=searchfeed

Answer 6

Please try to convince your friend otherwise. My short opinion is that, unless she's having her son circumcised for religious reasons, circumcisions shouldn't be done on infants unless there's a problem with the foreskin. The long explanation follows.

Circumcision is painful on infants; anesthetics may/may not work on infants and are dangerous for them anyway (link 1). Furthermore, there are many possible complications and risks of circumcision (particularly in infant circumcisions) that most people don't know about (link 2). And even if the infant doesn't feel pain during the actual procedure and doesn't have any complications, the first 3-5 days of recovery will be hell and urination will burn; so she'll have to deal with a very fussy baby (link 3).

There is a stated statistic that uncircumcised infants have a 1 in 100 chance of getting a UTI in the 1st year of life compared to a 1 in 1000 chance for a circumcised infant. What may not be known is that about 2 in 100 circumcised infants suffer excessive bleeding or wound infections as a result of the operation, more than negating that advantage (link 3). Furthermore, female infants have around an 8 in 100 chance of getting a UTI, and no procedure is done on them.

The uncircumcised penis is very easy to clean and keep clean, contrary to popular belief (link 4). With proper hygiene, the uncircumcised penis is no less hygienic and no less clean than the circumcised penis. And god hygiene has the added bonus of greatly minimizing/elminating most problems associated with the foreskin throughout life.

There is no statistically significant difference between uncircumcised and circumcised men in contracting STDs. Good hygiene helps lower this risk further. In fact, while recent studies seem to show circumcision can reduce the rate of contracting HIV, there are studies that show good genital hygiene can essentially negate this benefit. With proper and prompt genital hygiene, there's no statistically significant difference in contracting HIV between uncircumcised and circumcised men (link 5). Furthermore, as there's no solid cause-effect relationship between circumcision and HIV, those studies are still being debated (link 6). One thing is clear: good hygiene + safe sex >>> circumcision.

Lastly, there are potentially significant disadvantages of being circumcised. The foreskin contains many nerve endings that would be removed in circumcision; these nerve endings may contribue to sexual sensitivity (link 7). Furthermore, several studies indicate that the foreskin may play a role in the sexual satisfaction of both the man and woman (links 8, 9, 10).

So in summary, I believe that as long as one's foreskin is working normally, he maintains good genital hygiene, and he practices safe sex, it's definitely more beneficial to be uncircumcised. Circumcision is only beneficial if there's something wrong with the foreskin that couldn't otherwise be treated (which is quite rare). I'm uncircumcised and have never had any problems, and I wouldn't want to change. But perhaps the most important thing is that if I did want to get circumcised, it's my choice over my body.

If your friend has her son circumcised, she runs the risk of unnecessary complications and risks whereas he may never develop any problems, as well as taking away her son's choice over his own body. At least if he were uncircumcised, he'd can choose to get circumcised if he's unhappy with his foreskin. But once that choice is taken away, there's no going back.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that about 70-80% of the world's male population is uncircumcised and that the circumcision rate in the US is currently around 60% (though much lower/higher depending on the state). Look at the remaining links for further discussion and I hope this has helped you, and in turn help you to convince her, to seriously reconsider circumcision for her son.

Answer 7

she should not do it

the surgery is easy and quick, she should let her son decide for himself

people do it, because it is clean, so there won't be any dirt collected under the foreskin, if guys don't wash that often, they may get cancer in that area. also if guys with foreskin have sex with many people, and they don't keep it clean, they are more likely to get STDs because the foreskin can keep the area wet which can help virus, bacteria, fungus to grow

that is the reason

guys with foreskin are more sensitive around the head, so it is more fun during sex.

in conclusion, if the son will learn how to wash his foreskin every time, there is absolutly no reason to cut it

and he should be the one to decide what he wants to do with his own body part

Answer 8

Natural Penis Enlargement Solution - http://LongPenis.uzaev.com/?DJcT

Answer 9

Defiently no. It is not as safe as ppl say and there are no real evidence to backup it's benefits. And i've been w both and prefer uncut. There are benefits to the female partner. Read your stats, dont let the uneducated words of others suck u in. Read this site

Answer 10

Find my answer on the question of advantages and disadvantages of circumcision. There are no disadvantages

The answer is back 2-4 hours I think.

I would say all infant boys should be circumcised for a lot of good reasons.

Answer 11

unfortunately it is a matter of choice of the parents. there are a lot of pros and cons about being circed or uncired it isnt any more dirty you have to wash your unit like any other part of your body armpits, butt, neck, ears if you dont wash it will smell. There are reports of all kinds about a uncut unit spreading diesese and AIDS not true a boy can live a healthy life being uncut just as a cut one. It is becoming less and less of a thing to do now a days. and if you have witnessed one being done to a little baby dude you would not want you kid to go through it. try and find a video online showin one being performed on a little dude and she will change her mind.

also as for when he grows up and his girfriend thinks its gross he can kick her and her small mind to the curb. he needs to be proud of himself and have a positive attitude about himself no matter what anyone says

Curtdude