Circumcision

Michelle - posted on 02/02/2010

I am only 12 weeks along , but have already decided on this . My other son's it was pretty run of the mill sign this , and they were circumsized and over the years things changed with the whole thought .

I will have my baby circumsized if it is a boy .

Why ?

My father was not circumsized and had a lot of issues . Including having to have it done in his 60's after decades of extreme pain from a tightening of the foreskin .

He also had problems with it all through his life . Including when he was in Vietnam with infection from lack of being able to bathe while at war . I know sanitation is better now days , but we never know what the future for our kids are , and never know what events will happen .

Most dr's will say it is cosmetic for cultural reasons . BUT , my dad really changed my mind on it .

Care for it is really nothing to it , just normal cleaning at bath time like the rest of the body . You do have to keep petroleum jelly on it to keep it moist while healing and to keep it from sticking to the diaper .

Sabrina - posted on 01/25/2010

i just read some of the other posts, and if your husbands werent made fun of in the locker room then he's either lying to you or he had really nice classmates! There where two guys in my grade & all of us girls knew who they where b/c the other boys made fun of them ALL the time!!!

Sabrina - posted on 01/25/2010

Yes i curcumcised my son.When i had him the hospital gave me papers on the pros & cons, health benifits ect.After reading that info there wasnt really a right or wrong answer. it was the first decision i had to make 4 my son that was going affect him the rest of his life & i was scared!!!! i do know ppl who had their son un-circumcised & the only difference was they had to move the skin 2 make sure his pee-pee stayed clean. so, being the 19 yr old that i was i decided to do it. & i came to that decision b/c medically there is no difference, so if it doesnt matter either way, then i want my son to look normal in the locker room when he's in high school. I know its silly, but thats how i made my decision. i didnt want him to get made fun of for it looking weird! LOL

HOPE THIS HELPS!!!!

Chantelle - posted on 01/25/2010

Wow! So much debate over circumcision. I didn't circumcise my son as I didn't think it would be necessary but when he was 6 years old he had no choice but to get it done. He had phimosis and he could not retract his foreskin back at all, Every time he went to wee, the end of his penis would swell up into a ball shape and little spurts of wee would go everywhere. Not only did it take him ages to go to the toilet but it was extrememly uncomfortable and painful. When he started school the boys in the toilet would tease him and wee on him. During those first six years my son constantly had infections as it was hard to clean and urine would sit inside the foreskin. I would recommend circumcision not only because of what happened to my son but I think it is for the best long term.

Amy - posted on 01/24/2010

We don't know if we are having a boy yet but my husband wants to get the baby circumcised if it is a boy. He is and feels it would be better for the baby. I think if he thinks it is best unless I see info that makes me feel my baby is in danger I am going to support my husband's wishes.

Karyn - posted on 01/24/2010

i have had 2 boys and neither of them are circumcised i have heard how it is done and unless it is necessary i would not even consider this as option when making your decision remember that this can't be reversed

Brenda - posted on 01/24/2010

Marlana, not exactly sure why you singled me out for your comment regarding religion, we are Christians~ in fact my husbands middle name is Abraham...so we know all about what the bible says about circumcision, and my husband is intact, and has no self exteem issues regarding the way it looks... i am not going to get into a religious debate with anyone regarding it because really that has nothing to do with 99% of the comments posted here. it seems to me that the debate is over cleanliness, and health risk not religion.

Susanne - posted on 01/23/2010

Ive three sons and never had any of them circumcised. Ive never had any trouble with them having infections or anything. Im not critisizing or anything but I dont understand why anyone has this done unless their son has a problem and I would like to understand what the point of it is. Is it cultural or religious?

Alicia - posted on 01/23/2010

You should talk to the pediatrician that does circumcisions. I have done clinicals in nursing school on an ob floor and watched several circumcisions. Some doctors have the nurses put lidocaine in a little condom to numb it before the procedure. It seems to be the worst part for the baby is being strapped down. They cry mostly because they are strapped down. As soon as it is over, the nurse picks the baby up and he is fine. They watch him for about 30 minutes or so and he is back to his mom. Put vasoline on the diaper everytime you change it and it won't stick. After a few days it is completely healed. I had it done to my son and he never cried when he was peeing on a "fresh wound". It's really not as traumatic as you think.

Marlana - posted on 01/22/2010

brenda, no offense, but the bible is where many people get their reasons for circumcision. Abraham was told by God to do so. Either way I believe that it is a personal choice, and it is not one that people should be taking offense to as many of the women on this post are. What it comes down to is what is going to make the child happy, and although it is most obviously a procedure that causes the baby some pain, it is not a pain that the child will remember. My husband doesn't remember it and, as unscientific as it may have sounded, many people do just feel, "it looks weird". My aunt didn't have the procedure for her sons and they haven't have physical issues with it, but from what they have told my aunt they do have some issues with self esteem because of the way that it looks.

Brenda - posted on 01/21/2010

my husband is intact and was never made fun of ''in the locker room'' i don't think any of the other boys would want to admit they 'looked' LOL i used to think it looked funny too only cause i had never seen it like that before. now i am used to it...(I honestly dont know if my dad and brother are circumsized or not and would never ask them) i figure God put that skin there for a reason so it is not my place to take it off... if there was a medical situation that arised then we would make the decision based on the situation. but if i have a boy and he is perfectly healthy he is being left INTACT!!

Brittany - posted on 01/21/2010

I have always thought that I would for sure because my partner was and I didn't want my son to feel different or wierd in comparison to his daddy, but then I did reasearch for it and the video's I saw looked terribly painful so now I feel guilty about considering it but I still think it's important to have done... I asked my mother about it because I have four much younger brothers and she told me she had two of my brothers done and two weren't she says she regrets not having my youngest brothers done because now they may need to have it done for medical reasons afterall and she says it's much more traumatic on an older boy then an infant, with that in mind I figure I would rather get it over with right away then chance putting my son through that when he's old enough to remember the experience.

Crystal - posted on 01/21/2010

I had my son circumcized and it was very difficult for me. I cried like hell when they took him to have it done. He was only 36 hours old. I am glad that I had it done b/c there is alot of cleaning involved with an uncircumcized penis and it is very difficult to teach a young boy how to pull back the foreskin and cleanse the area properly. If the area is not cleansed properly it can cause excoriation and infection to the area, which can be painful. I think however it is a personal preferrence. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Joanna - posted on 01/21/2010

We plan to circumcise our son for three main reasons: His dad is so they will 'match,' I absolutely believe in the health benefits of having it done, they don't remember having it done (I know it's much more severe, but I compare it to piercing a girl's ears at a young age, which we do), and I don't want my son to get made fun of in the locker room by his peers if we don't get him circumcised!

Julia - posted on 01/21/2010

Sammantha,
Well obviously you didn't get my POINT in the whole matter. My research is the last policy letter that the AAP put out. I think the last policy letter from the AAP is a better place to get information from than some news organization or some magazine article. I can understand why you would want to get your child circumsized. There are a few medical reasons to get it done, and you mentioned your family history and that would be one of the few reasons to actually get it done. You could have done without saying it looks funny. That is just childish thinking on your part.

Sammantha - posted on 01/21/2010

Julia,
You keep saying that if theres no evidence from a reputable medical research site or organization not to post it. Your source hasnt been updated since 1999, it is now 2010 and there could be new evidence. Either way though I dont understand why everyone is getting worked up about it, get it done if you want to and if you dont then dont do it. Its a choice!
Anyways back to the post.. I am pregnant with a little boy now and plan to get my son circumsized just because of my family history that the men go thru plus I just think they look funny when its not circumsized.. It runs in my family that a lot of the time when a little boy is born instead of the pee hole being at the tip of the penis like it should be it is actually on the side of the penis, so for my sons safety I'm getting it done plus if his penis comes out like that they have to do reconsturctive surgery and theyll have to circumsize him anyway.

Nicola - posted on 01/21/2010

I live in the UK and over here it's not common at all unless for medical reasons,the doctor would be amazed if you just walked in and wanted it doing to your baby,I think its not needed at all!

Mandie - posted on 01/21/2010

I didn't and I won't. Its not my body, so my husband and I decided not to. There is no real medical reason to do it if you teach your child how to wash himself. If he decides to get it done in the future, sure it will be hassle for him, but at least he was able to make that decision for himself. If my next child is a boy he too will not be circumcised for the same reasons.

My husband plans on teaching my son(s) about hygiene and talking about sex so those reasons that other parents may use to have their son circumcised don't really apply to us. Sure there are potential health benefits to having your son(s) circumcised but only if you don't plan on teaching them about hygiene, personal responsibility, and sex. If you teach your child about all of those and let them take care of their own body's the benefits are (in my opinion) eliminated. If you teach your son about safe sex, then the risk of STD's as well as an unplanned pregnancy are far less than just having been circumcised. It is about personal responsibility on the part of your son in the future not just making your life easier by not having to talk about hygiene or sex with your son.

And for us it was considered cosmetic. It just depends on the hospital and your insurance company. Not everybody goes to the same hospital to have their kids and not everybody is covered by the same insurance company.

Lisa - posted on 01/21/2010

My husband and son are uncircumcised , My husband is 44 and has never had an infection my son is 6 and has never had any problems. Keeping my son clean has never been an issue I never had to pull back foreskin and clean him as a baby and when he was old enough about 3 daddy showed him how to clean himself and he does every bath I haft to tell him but he does, and he has not had any issues. I think it is a personal choice. You should not feel pressure or guilt for either decision you make.

Julia - posted on 01/21/2010

News article after news article after news article. When someone can come up with MEDICAL research from a reputed MEDICAL agency then put out your little "facts" however until you get your research from AMA or AAP or some other MEDICAL agency don't feed into the fear. That is dangerous seriously. There is NO evidence ACCORDING TO THE AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) saying that the risk for STD's or UTI's are higher in men that aren't circumsized.

Natalie - posted on 01/21/2010

http://menshealth.about.com/cs/menonly/a...

Benefits of Circumcision

Male circumcision has often been carried out for reasons of hygiene. It is known that men who have had a circumcision seem to contract fewer urinary tract infections.
Circumcision does offer some defense against sexually transmitted diseases and HIV.
There is also evidence that circumcised men have a lower rate of penile cancer, a very rare form of cancer. Research is unclear about whether circumcision reduces the risk of cervical cancer in female sexual partners.

Jaclyn - posted on 01/21/2010

Both my family and my husbands family have circumsized men and we felt that this was the right choice for our sona do plan to get it done to our second son. The care after the procedure is simple, just put gause and patrolum jelly on it, so it does not stick to anything and it will be healed in a few days. I do not regret our choice and I'm happy we did it. Our son would have very bad soiled diapers and his little guy would be covered in the mess and it washard enough to get his guy cleaned off, I could not imagine having to clean that same mess if he had foreskin. Those are also the diapers that gave him a diaper rash the most, so his guy would also have a rash and it would bother him to get it cleaned off of him, so having him intact would then cause him more issues when he was getting cleaned. This was not considered cosmetic for us and as others have said, it is a decision that everyone can make.

ME - posted on 01/21/2010

I don't understand how people can keep insisting that there are infections associated with leaving your son uncircumcised...My husband is 27, and never had a problem, my son is two, and no problems there either...we DON"T DO ANYTHING for the baby, and won't need to until he is old enough to take care of it himself...as someone else said, I wash my genitals every day...why shouldn't boys/men...I support peoples right to choose circumcision for religious or cosmetic reasons, but supporting false notions and spreading fear based on false rumors is harmful and silly!

Joie - posted on 01/20/2010

i had my son circumcized, they did it the day after he was born his pedi gave him a dose of tylenol about 30 min before the procedure and he was fine as for after care it was vasaline at each diaper change and after baths, if i have another son will have him circumcized as well it is cleaner less infections....

Brenda - posted on 01/20/2010

i completely agree with you julia... you may want to re-read my last sentance.'if it WAS mediciallly necessary it would not be considered cosmetic...since it is considered cosmetic that must mean it is medically unneccesary.

Julia - posted on 01/20/2010

Hey Brenda...if you check the website I posted it is a link to MANY different countries INCLUDING Canada, Finland, UK, Austrailia, New Zealand and all of them say the same thing. IT IS UNNECESSARY!

Brenda - posted on 01/20/2010

guys complain about having to clean it every day? uh i clean my genitals everyday! i think everyone should clean themselves everyday...it is called personal hygiene whether male / female circumsized/ or intact! my husband is intact and would kill me if i had his son circumsized. it is not happening, and i am really amazed at all the ladies on here who think it is cleaner or there is less infection...i agree with julia pagan! her comments are regarding the american health organziations and i have not seen any evidence in the canadian health organizations that indicate that it is healthier... it would still be a free service not ''cosmetic surgery'' if it was medically neccesarry

Alex - posted on 01/20/2010

ahh Jennifer Richards post scared me. but yeah anywho Im pregnant... first kiddo... and I found out today it's a boy.... Im getting him circumsized.. I think they look better and are easier to take care of...

Jennifer - posted on 01/20/2010

Brenda. . .Not wanting to pick on you at all but I read your article and I have to say I think the video you watched might have been bad for you, althought they prob do feel a little pain, imagine if they treid to get it done at age 12? my fiance had that done, and he had to walk around with nothing on but a tshirt propped like a tent and it was the worst pain he'd ever felt, do you think you'll hear a two year old tell that same story after being circumcised at birth? and just to let you know circumcised although it sounds like more people are doing it, isn't the cultural norm, they just did a study stating that almost equal amounts of boys have either so it's all equal now :) I think either way you'd be fine, and I did have a mom freind who went in with her kid and saw it done, but in my opinion, it's the person who knows whats going on that it's really hard for. . .not so much the kid :)

Jennifer - posted on 01/20/2010

Okay this is gonna be long for me because I think you'll wanna hear this. I absolutley believe in both ways. I don't think each is above the other and I certainly agree with everyone's right to chose btween the two, with that being said, I personally circumcised my first son. My choice was based on the fact my fiance was circumcised and he was acctually circumcised at a very old age of 12 years old, he came from the phillipines and got it done here, it left stitch scars, so I thought if my son ever wanted it done, he might have to have those if he got it done later on, second, I think it would be easier to explain how daddy and wayde are alike, not how they would be different if we hadn't. Now I was also raised thinking circumcised was cleaner, that thought does stay with me essp. when my fiance says he had to clean his every day when he had it uncircumcised and he likes it better circumcised. Also when I have talked to my freinds about uncircumcised males they have said many a time, they favored perfrming certain favors on the circumcised rather than uncircumcised. Not that there aren't wemon who enjoy it again, I'm speaking of my own expiriences.
Now I did have a horrid expirence with my son. We got him circumcised and the doc told me to put nothing on it and he ended up being the 1 in 1000 boy who got infected and his bang got stuck on the head and we ended up in the er to get it removed, lots of blood and sweat and one very sleepy traumatised baby later. . .We went home. Now I am pregnant with my second son and will I get him circumcised again? Yes. To me and in my opinion, it's a boy bonding thing and it's cleaner (in my opinion) it just feels right for me that way. You will do whats right for you. Just know everyone's opinion is gonna be different and all you can do is decide for yourself whats right for you :))

Natalie - posted on 01/20/2010

Here are some articles if someone doesn't believe me:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1...

Natalie - posted on 01/20/2010

I also had my son circumcised and if i have another son i will do the same. My brother didn't and he's always had problems with infections and he skin being to tight and hurting.

I think it looks better, is cleaner and he won't have any problems with it anytime in life like my brother did.

My son had it done a day after birth and he didn't have any problems what so ever. I know some people think their baby will be in pain but they really aren't. He was a happy baby, even directly after his circumcision.

PLUS did you guys know, that if a man still has his foreskin he's at greater risk for contracting diseases? Yes, as in HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. When he's circumcised the risk goes down quite a bit.
And also, some seem to think that the men then has less feeling in his penis.. which is BS. My husband is 25 and enjoying sex very much :-)

Angenette - posted on 01/20/2010

sometimes circumcision is required if the excess skin is bothering but if i happen to have a boy then i will get him circumsized.

Mariam - posted on 01/20/2010

My son is circumcised. Actually, if you don't get your child circumcised, there are a lot of possible infections and such they could get in that area. It's very important to keep that area there clean... and teach them to clean down there as well.

Elizabeth - posted on 01/20/2010

Our son was circumcised and we don't regret it. The only thing we regret was not looking into our insurance about it. Most companies consider it an "optional cosmetic surgery" and so require you to pay for it. That was an unexpected $600 out of pocket. After care was easy, wash, A&D on it and done. Would do again if this next one is boy - but we're hoping for a girl!

Samantha - posted on 01/20/2010

I had my son circumcised. i think a circumcision is more sanitary. it's not hard to take care of, you just clean it with water and my hospital gave me ointment to put on it.. i don't feel like i made a mistake

ME - posted on 01/20/2010

I did not have my son Circ. He is going to be two in 3 weeks, and we have no regrets. My hubby is not Circ., and he insisted that it was the right decision for him, and was pretty clear about his beliefs on the practice. After doing my own research, I decided that my husband was right, and there was no reason to do this to our son. The pediatrician was VERY supportive of our decision, and had no problem with it whatsoever. Some of my family was horrified, and tried to make us feel bad about leaving our son au natural....but, in my opinion, they just don't understand the current research or thoughts on the practice. Good luck with your decision...whichever way you decide!

Julia - posted on 01/20/2010

Mandi,
1977? That was before I was born...it is now 2010, and the information that I found is from 1999! If I could find something more recent for you I would. But that was the last policy statement the the AAP put out.
Also did you read your own article? The reason the risk was 3 times higher was because out of 500 men, 154 were circumsized and 356 were uncircumsized so of course the likelihood of STD's would be higher in uncircumsized men...the number of uncircumsized men in the study was 3 times higher! Have a nice day!

Cheri - posted on 01/19/2010

yea i would it can help fight infection if you do

Mandi - posted on 01/19/2010

Julia,

There was a study done starting in 1977 following a certain number of men for 25 years and found that uncircumcised men were 3 times more likely to get an STD. Here is a link to the article they wrote about the study.

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/200...

Sara - posted on 01/19/2010

If my baby is a boy i'm going to have him circumcised because in the long run it's less infections to clean and take care of through out my baby's life that and its easier to clean. As for the aftercare i don't know either...

Julia - posted on 01/19/2010

Here is a link for you to check out. It shows the circumcision policies of a number of different countries along with a direct link to America's policy. It states " The AAP does not recommend routine (performed in the absence of medical indication) circumcision of the newborn." AAP stand for American Academy of Pediatrics...not American Pediatrics Association as I stated before.



Sorry forgot the link!!!



http://www.cirp.org/library/statements/

Julia - posted on 01/19/2010

Mandi,
I would like to know where you get your information from? Because according to the APA (American Pediatric Association) and the American Medical Association both say that there is NO proof that boys are more likely infections or STD's if they are not circumsized.

Mandi - posted on 01/19/2010

I am 100% for circumcision. I had my son circumcised and I don't regret it at all. After it has healed and as boys get older it is easier for them to clean. They are more likely to have infections and get STDs if they are not circumcised. I recommend it. The aftercare is not that bad either.

Ashley - posted on 01/19/2010

Our son was not circumsized, even though at first we wanted to get it done. After reading up on it I am glad i didn't do it. There is no medical reason and statistically there is no proof that uncircumsized men get STI's more often.

Liz - posted on 01/19/2010

As for the process, being a new born is better to get circumsized than older, because for one thing the baby isn't as aware of his body as an older boy is, and one of my doctors was explaining to me something about the nerves are better to do it at that age too. If they are older, like my son is, they do put them under to do the process. Which would take about a half an hour, and then takes about a month to heal.

Liz - posted on 01/19/2010

I've been wanting to get my son who is now almost 20 months old circumsized, but haven't had any luck yet. He's a twin and since they were born early, he was too little to be done at the hospital so we've had major problems trying to find someone that would do it. No one around here seems to want to do elective circumcisions. Reason why I want to do this is because there is a history of infection in the family for people who were not circumcised and I want to try and avoid it. So if baby number three is a boy, I'm hoping it'll be able to be done right away in the hospital.

Julia - posted on 01/19/2010

No absolutely not however my husband and I are still arguing over this and I am due in Apr with our first boy!!!!
No male in my family is circumsized. Father, brother, and 5 nephews.
Father is 63 yrs old and according to my mom never had problems with it and neither did she (heard people trying to say that women get infections from uncircumsized men)
Brother is 43 yrs old, gay and never had problems with it.
5 nephews ages 13, 11, 10, 9 and 6. None of them have any problems, my sisters and brother taught them how to clean it and they are just fine!!!
I find there is NO medical reason for it and the hygiene thing is just an excuse people will use to convince themselves that putting their baby boy through unnecessary pain is ok. Later on in life, later on in life. Teach your child how to clean himself correctly and everything will be fine. One time and only once did my one nephew not want to take a bath. I just told him you have to go and take a bath and clean down there if you don't we will have to take you to the doctors and he will have to cut it off. Never had anymore complaints from him about taking a bath!
My husband is Army Infantry his excuse is "when our son is in the infantry and has to go to the field for 30 days and can't shower" I ask him when was the last time that happened to him. I also told him that if he gets that done to our son I will not change his diaper until after it is healed. I will not be responsible for that at all.

Brenda - posted on 01/19/2010

definitly not!! i watched a video of a baby getting circumsized and i almost got sick... they do not use any anesthesia, and can you imagine peeing on a fresh wound...http://circumcision.org/mothers.htm check out this link for some info..... it is funny after watching this video i posted in another moms group and now it is coming up here too...don't do it!!!! leave your little boy intact! we would never dream of mutilating our little girls genitals i don't understand why we do this it is just ''cultural norm'' there is no medical benefit....no medical basis/proof...good luck with your decison...

Linea - posted on 01/17/2010

We don't know the sex yet, but if we are having a boy we will have him circumcised. It is more for a hygenic issue than anything else, so he will be able to clean himself better.