Pro's and Con's of Circumcision???

ericaley98 · May 2011

I know there are passionate people on here for one reason or another. I always assumed I would circumcise because it's the social norm, but I really don't know much about it either way. Why would you not want to circumcise? What are beinfits of circumcision?

vtcnicely · May 2011

I feel like people care way too much about this issue...I just think do whatever the dad has done.

Cranang · May 2011

Oh God, no, not again...

Olalala157 · May 2011

This is like rebeating a dead horse again. Whats a con for someone may be a pro for another and the other way around. Its best to do your own research and decide for yourself whats a pro and a con. Local libraries have plenty of factual material.

smilelari · May 2011

When we made this decision we focused on the reasons to circumcise. Action is much more drastic than inaction and we figured that if we went ahead and circumcised it would be for a darn good reason. We never found a reason that was good enough to warrant going ahead. If we or DS decide later that we made the wrong decision, well we can go ahead and go the other way later which wouldn't be true if we had circumcised. (FWIW DH is circumcised. DS is not.)

rachaelski · May 2011

I'm not really passionate about it either, but we are going the other direction by not. We are not Jewish, so there's not the religious connection, and it's really only a social norm here in the US. I imagine it's painful, and I am not sure I'd want my baby to put "put under" or given medications so early in their little life. That being said, a lot of people go with the logic of making the baby look like daddy. Others argue the health/cleanliness benefits, but in today's age, I don't believe it's such an issue any longer. i've even heard people contend that they do it so sex will be more pleasurable for their son....my husband's not and he certainly still enjoys sex ;-)

Good luck. And I think it's good that you are asking questions, as opposed to just going with the flow.

angiegail78 · May 2011

rachaelski:
I'm not really passionate about it either, but we are going the other direction by not. We are not Jewish, so there's not the religious connection, and it's really only a social norm here in the US. I imagine it's painful, and I am not sure I'd want my baby to put "put under" or given medications so early in their little life. That being said, a lot of people go with the logic of making the baby look like daddy. Others argue the health/cleanliness benefits, but in today's age, I don't believe it's such an issue any longer. i've even heard people contend that they do it so sex will be more pleasurable for their son....my husband's not and he certainly still enjoys sex ;-)
Good luck. And I think it's good that you are asking questions, as opposed to just going with the flow.

That's interesting because I've heard the exact opposite. The foreskin is very sensitive so I've heard that sex is more pleasurable for uncirced guys.

I'm going to put this out there because I think it's something most people don't know. For some circ'd babies, you have to be really careful to make sure that the skin doesn't reattach. On some boys there is still extra skin that you need to pull back and clean during diaper changes. From my time on the baby boards I've read about some boys who have gotten penile adhesions or even needed to be recircumcised. Apparently not all doctors tell new parents this.

Edited for spelling.

StefB28 · May 2011

Cons: surgical procedure that some see as merely cosmetic. Pros: reduced risk of STD/HIV transmission later in life.

madiegirl83 · May 2011

DS is circ'd and if this baby is a boy it will be as well. IMO it is easier to keep clean and can lower some risks of infections later in life. That being said I use to work at a rehab/long term care facility and we had an elderly man (80-ish) who was uncirc'd. He had an indwelling catheter that had not been taken care of well at the hospital before he cam to us. He got an infection and had to have a circumcision at around 80 years old. He was in a lot of pain following it and it needed a lot of after care. For me and my family the benefits outweigh risks or possible risks. Having already had a on who had gone through it I feel comfortable with the procedure, how it is done, and the effect on my child. He was fussy for a little while after, but did not appear to be in any major pain even during diaper changes. He has no memory of it and it has not had any lasting effects. It is a very personal, family decision. I suggest you do some outside research of your own so you can weigh the options for yourself and make a well-informed decision. Good luck!

Sarahbear621 · May 2011

sorry nothing personal the OP but i just rolled by eyes when I saw this topic...again. there has to be at least 2 dozen previous threads on this topic. My advise to the OP is to use the search function and make an informed decision on what works for you and your lo. We will circum if this LO is a boy.

StefB28 · May 2011

angiegail78:
rachaelski:
I'm not really passionate about it either, but we are going the other direction by not. We are not Jewish, so there's not the religious connection, and it's really only a social norm here in the US. I imagine it's painful, and I am not sure I'd want my baby to put "put under" or given medications so early in their little life. That being said, a lot of people go with the logic of making the baby look like daddy. Others argue the health/cleanliness benefits, but in today's age, I don't believe it's such an issue any longer. i've even heard people contend that they do it so sex will be more pleasurable for their son....my husband's not and he certainly still enjoys sex ;-)
Good luck. And I think it's good that you are asking questions, as opposed to just going with the flow.
That's interesting because I've heard the exact opposite. The foreskin is very sensitive so I've heart that sex is more pleasurable for uncirced guys.
I'm going to put this out there because I think it's something most people don't know. For some circ'd babies, you have to be really careful to make sure that the skin doesn't reattach. On some boys there is still extra skin that you need to pull back and clean during diaper changes. From my time on the baby boards I've read about some boys who have gotten penile adhesions or even needed to be recircumcised. Apparently not all doctors tell new parents this.

This absolutely can happen, but is not common. Pediatricians examine the penis at the first few visits to make sure it's healing properly. Mentioning this now seems like a scare tactic.

rachaelski · May 2011

Sarahbear621:
sorry nothing personal the OP but i just rolled by eyes when I saw this topic...again. there has to be at least 2 dozen previous threads on this topic. My advise to the OP is to use the search function and make an informed decision on what works for you and your lo. We will circum if this LO is a boy.

Can you help me with the search function then? Every time I use it, it turns up nothing! I'll search for a post I KNOW exists, and it says there's nothing matching my key words.

angiegail78 · May 2011

StefB28:
This absolutely can happen, but is not common. Pediatricians examine the penis at the first few visits to make sure it's healing properly. Mentioning this now seems like a scare tactic.

It wasn't meant to be, and I've read about it happening on the baby boards. I don't think it's any more of a scare tactic than people mentioning elderly men who need to be circed.

She asked for pros and cons. This is something I've seen mentioned that I don't think many people would be aware of, especially since I've heard people say that circed penises are easier to care for. Uncirced baby boys are very easy to clean. You just wipe their penis off like you would a finger. The foreskin does not retract until later in life.

Cranang · May 2011

rachaelski:

Sarahbear621:
sorry nothing personal the OP but i just rolled by eyes when I saw this topic...again. there has to be at least 2 dozen previous threads on this topic. My advise to the OP is to use the search function and make an informed decision on what works for you and your lo. We will circum if this LO is a boy.

Can you help me with the search function then? Every time I use it, it turns up nothing! I'll search for a post I KNOW exists, and it says there's nothing matching my key words.

I just did a search at the top for "circumcision". Then at the top of the results, there were places to narrow it down. I chose "community." And there were hundreds of forum posts on this topic.

rachaelski · May 2011

Cranang:
rachaelski:

Sarahbear621:
sorry nothing personal the OP but i just rolled by eyes when I saw this topic...again. there has to be at least 2 dozen previous threads on this topic. My advise to the OP is to use the search function and make an informed decision on what works for you and your lo. We will circum if this LO is a boy.
Can you help me with the search function then? Every time I use it, it turns up nothing! I'll search for a post I KNOW exists, and it says there's nothing matching my key words.
I just did a search at the top for "circumcision". Then at the top of the results, there were places to narrow it down. I chose "community." And there were hundreds of forum posts on this topic.

Are you searching using the box at the bottom of the page "search boards" or the one up top? I've used the bottom, but just noticed the top option. Maybe it's my browser (Safari), I also have trouble using the tool bar options when posting (i.e. bolding words).

Sarabear, I hope I didn't sound rude, just reread my post....

smilelari · May 2011

angiegail78:
StefB28:
This absolutely can happen, but is not common. Pediatricians examine the penis at the first few visits to make sure it's healing properly. Mentioning this now seems like a scare tactic.
It wasn't meant to be, and I've read about it happening on the baby boards. I don't think it's any more of a scare tactic than people mentioning elderly men who need to be circed.
She asked for pros and cons. This is something I've seen mentioned that I don't think many people would be aware of, especially since I've heard people say that circed penises are easier to care for. Uncirced baby boys are very easy to clean. You just wipe their penis off like you would a finger. The foreskin does not retract until later in life.

Adhesion is not that uncommon and is in fact much more common than the elderly example of having to circumcise later due to infection

LifeInANutshell · May 2011

In my simple mind:

Pros: Its the norm (right now), no smegma and baby's penis will match daddy's (less confusion when growing up)

Cons: You are cutting off a piece of your child

............

As for me... I'd do it - buahahahaha

vtcnicely · May 2011

LifeInANutshell:

In my simple mind:

Pros: Its the norm (right now), no smegma and baby's penis will match daddy's (less confusion when growing up)

Cons: You are cutting off a piece of your child

............

As for me... I'd do it - buahahahaha

Always one of my favorite words...

Cranang · May 2011

rachaelski:
Cranang:
rachaelski:

Sarahbear621:
sorry nothing personal the OP but i just rolled by eyes when I saw this topic...again. there has to be at least 2 dozen previous threads on this topic. My advise to the OP is to use the search function and make an informed decision on what works for you and your lo. We will circum if this LO is a boy.

Can you help me with the search function then? Every time I use it, it turns up nothing! I'll search for a post I KNOW exists, and it says there's nothing matching my key words.

I just did a search at the top for "circumcision". Then at the top of the results, there were places to narrow it down. I chose "community." And there were hundreds of forum posts on this topic.

Are you searching using the box at the bottom of the page "search boards" or the one up top? I've used the bottom, but just noticed the top option. Maybe it's my browser (Safari), I also have trouble using the tool bar options when posting (i.e. bolding words).

Sarabear, I hope I didn't sound rude, just reread my post....

Actually, I used the one at the top where there are tabs that have "The Knot", "The Nest," and "The Bump."

Sarahbear621 · May 2011

Cranang:
rachaelski:
Cranang:
rachaelski:

Sarahbear621:
sorry nothing personal the OP but i just rolled by eyes when I saw this topic...again. there has to be at least 2 dozen previous threads on this topic. My advise to the OP is to use the search function and make an informed decision on what works for you and your lo. We will circum if this LO is a boy.

Can you help me with the search function then? Every time I use it, it turns up nothing! I'll search for a post I KNOW exists, and it says there's nothing matching my key words.

I just did a search at the top for "circumcision". Then at the top of the results, there were places to narrow it down. I chose "community." And there were hundreds of forum posts on this topic.

Are you searching using the box at the bottom of the page "search boards" or the one up top? I've used the bottom, but just noticed the top option. Maybe it's my browser (Safari), I also have trouble using the tool bar options when posting (i.e. bolding words).

Sarabear, I hope I didn't sound rude, just reread my post....

Actually, I used the one at the top where there are tabs that have "The Knot", "The Nest," and "The Bump."

I use the one on top too with the tabs.

No worries I didn't think it was rude at all

CheriCO · May 2011

angiegail78:
It wasn't meant to be, and I've read about it happening on the baby boards. I don't think it's any more of a scare tactic than people mentioning elderly men who need to be circed.
She asked for pros and cons. This is something I've seen mentioned that I don't think many people would be aware of, especially since I've heard people say that circed penises are easier to care for. Uncirced baby boys are very easy to clean. You just wipe their penis off like you would a finger. The foreskin does not retract until later in life.

Ditto this. IMO, intact penises are much easier to care for. You don't have to do anything special - no vaseline or special cleaning or anything. At some point, the boy will have to be reminded/taught to retract the foreskin while bathing, but it's not like that is a big deal.

StefB28 · May 2011

angiegail78:
StefB28:
This absolutely can happen, but is not common. Pediatricians examine the penis at the first few visits to make sure it's healing properly. Mentioning this now seems like a scare tactic.
It wasn't meant to be, and I've read about it happening on the baby boards. I don't think it's any more of a scare tactic than people mentioning elderly men who need to be circed.
She asked for pros and cons. This is something I've seen mentioned that I don't think many people would be aware of, especially since I've heard people say that circed penises are easier to care for. Uncirced baby boys are very easy to clean. You just wipe their penis off like you would a finger. The foreskin does not retract until later in life.

Completely agree- neither is the norm for either decision. Circ'd boys are cleaned the same way as uncirc'd boys (after they heal, of course). Not having foreskin doesn't prevent us from wiping DS's penis off the same way you clean your intact DS.

StefB28 · May 2011

smilelari:
angiegail78:
StefB28:
This absolutely can happen, but is not common. Pediatricians examine the penis at the first few visits to make sure it's healing properly. Mentioning this now seems like a scare tactic.
It wasn't meant to be, and I've read about it happening on the baby boards. I don't think it's any more of a scare tactic than people mentioning elderly men who need to be circed.
She asked for pros and cons. This is something I've seen mentioned that I don't think many people would be aware of, especially since I've heard people say that circed penises are easier to care for. Uncirced baby boys are very easy to clean. You just wipe their penis off like you would a finger. The foreskin does not retract until later in life.
Adhesion is not that uncommon and is in fact much more common than the elderly example of having to circumcise later due to infection

Agreed that it is more common than the elderly example- I didn't provide that example. As for how common it is, it hasn't happened to a single circumcised male I know (adult or baby).

rachaelski · May 2011

StefB28:
smilelari:
angiegail78:
StefB28:
This absolutely can happen, but is not common. Pediatricians examine the penis at the first few visits to make sure it's healing properly. Mentioning this now seems like a scare tactic.
It wasn't meant to be, and I've read about it happening on the baby boards. I don't think it's any more of a scare tactic than people mentioning elderly men who need to be circed.
She asked for pros and cons. This is something I've seen mentioned that I don't think many people would be aware of, especially since I've heard people say that circed penises are easier to care for. Uncirced baby boys are very easy to clean. You just wipe their penis off like you would a finger. The foreskin does not retract until later in life.
Adhesion is not that uncommon and is in fact much more common than the elderly example of having to circumcise later due to infection
Agreed that it is more common than the elderly example- I didn't provide that example. As for how common it is, it hasn't happened to a single circumcised male I know (adult or baby).

It happened with my little brother.

angiegail78 · May 2011

StefB28:
Completely agree- neither is the norm for either decision. Circ'd boys are cleaned the same way as uncirc'd boys (after they heal, of course). Not having foreskin doesn't prevent us from wiping DS's penis off the same way you clean your intact DS.

I was more putting it out there so people know. I've seen about ten or so posts from moms on The Bump whose doctors didn't tell them that they needed to pull down the extra skin and clean it whose sons ended up with an adhesion. My sister's son is circed and he's three months older than Abe. She still needs to pull back that skin. I just think it's good info to have, especially if it can prevent painful procedures in the future.

StefB28 · May 2011

angiegail78:
StefB28:
Completely agree- neither is the norm for either decision. Circ'd boys are cleaned the same way as uncirc'd boys (after they heal, of course). Not having foreskin doesn't prevent us from wiping DS's penis off the same way you clean your intact DS.
I was more putting it out there so people know. I've seen about ten or so posts from moms on The Bump whose doctors didn't tell them that they needed to pull down the extra skin and clean it whose sons ended up with an adhesion. My sister's son is circed and he's three months older than Abe. She still needs to pull back that skin. I just think it's good info to have, especially if it can prevent painful procedures in the future.

I understand what you're saying & appreciate that you want to inform people- I just don't want people to misunderstand & think that this happens with all circ'd baby boys or the majority. I asked our pedi at the hospital if we needed to pull back the skin & we were instructed not to, unless there was a problem at one of our first appts. Pulling the skin for no reason can cause excess pain to the baby & delay healing. And as for adhesion, it should be noted that this can occur in uncirc'd babies as well as circ'd babies.

angiegail78 · May 2011

StefB28:
I understand what you're saying & appreciate that you want to inform people- I just don't want people to misunderstand & think that this happens with all circ'd baby boys or the majority. I asked our pedi at the hospital if we needed to pull back the skin & we were instructed not to, unless there was a problem at one of our first appts. Pulling the skin for no reason can cause excess pain to the baby & delay healing. And as for adhesion, it should be noted that this can occur in uncirc'd babies as well as circ'd babies.

Okay, I've been looking stuff up because most of my info on adhesions is anecdotal from stories I've heard on TB.

Different sources have stated that 2/3 or 71% of all circumcised baby boys will get penile adhesions. The same sources state that most of those will work themselves out eventually and no other medical intervention will be needed. There also seems to be conflicting advice from doctors on whether or not to retract the remaining foreskin.

link 1

link 2

ETA - I realize these aren't scholarly links.

LifeInANutshell · May 2011

angiegail78:
Different sources have stated that 2/3 or 71% of all circumcised baby boys will get penile adhesions. The same sources state that most of those will work themselves out eventually and no other medical intervention will be needed. There also seems to be conflicting advice from doctors on whether or not to retract the remaining foreskin.
link 1
link 2
ETA - I realize these aren't scholarly links.

lol - i sorted gathered that from the 2/3 = 71% statement

angiegail78 · May 2011

LifeInANutshell:
angiegail78:
Different sources have stated that 2/3 or 71% of all circumcised baby boys will get penile adhesions. The same sources state that most of those will work themselves out eventually and no other medical intervention will be needed. There also seems to be conflicting advice from doctors on whether or not to retract the remaining foreskin.
link 1
link 2
ETA - I realize these aren't scholarly links.

lol - i sorted gathered that from the 2/3 = 71% statement

Those were two separate numbers given.

StefB28 · May 2011

angiegail78:

StefB28:
I understand what you're saying & appreciate that you want to inform people- I just don't want people to misunderstand & think that this happens with all circ'd baby boys or the majority. I asked our pedi at the hospital if we needed to pull back the skin & we were instructed not to, unless there was a problem at one of our first appts. Pulling the skin for no reason can cause excess pain to the baby & delay healing. And as for adhesion, it should be noted that this can occur in uncirc'd babies as well as circ'd babies.

Okay, I've been looking stuff up because most of my info on adhesions is anecdotal from stories I've heard on TB.

Different sources have stated that 2/3 or 71% of all circumcised baby boys will get penile adhesions. The same sources state that most of those will work themselves out eventually and no other medical intervention will be needed. There also seems to be conflicting advice from doctors on whether or not to retract the remaining foreskin.

link 1

link 2

ETA - I realize these aren't scholarly links.

I saw these numbers, too... published on anti-circumcision websites. I realize that your links are more mainstream, but since they are not medical resources with accountable studies, I don't put any stock in the numbers.

Obviously, we both just want people to choose what's best for their sons-- you don't want people to circ without reason and be pressured into doing it because so many people have seen it as "the norm" for so long. Likewise, I don't want people to avoid the procedure because they are lead to believe that their son will not receive proper pain meds or have permanent damage because their penis doesn't heal correctly.

You have your reasons why you didn't circ your son (which I completely respect!!) and I have my reasons why I did (that I firmly believe in). So, the way I see it, we're both awesome moms who take great care of our boys. Big Smile

PlainandTall · May 2011

I'd like to invite you to visit my blog where I have written out some of my thoughts.

I've been criticised here before for caring too much, one person even said, "She knows way too much about the penis." as if that is supposed to make people turn away from what I might have to offer them in questioning this. Others have posted a link to my past posts- proving that I have posted a lot on the subject. It's true, I have. Why don't you open up those threads I posted in and open your eyes to the things that are being said on this forum. It might give you a good picture of what is going on.

I do have strong opinions on it, and I don't think it should be up to parents- I believe it's a human right to have intact genitals.

I don't think that the fact that this question keeps getting brought up over and over makes it wrong for a person to ask about it. This search engine on theBump bites, it's really hard to find discussions here to see if your question has already been covered. It also is a "fresh" issue for every new parent. I have been an activist for almost 15 years, the information is out there and many people are still not getting it. If you don't even know the right questions to ask- you can't really do research. if you don't even know that the anatomy in question has a sexual purpose/function/value whatever... you might go looking for information about plastibell/mogen/gomco and think that you are totally up on things- when you missed the biggest question- "What am I thinking of doing?"

There are many hidden biases in our culture that you may not recognise, I offer this recent news story for an example-

https://www.wtvr.com/wtvr-botched-circumcisions-20110517,0,4411553.story

In one city (where 4500 boys are born a year), one of two pediatric urologists has done 1600 circumcision revisions in three years. If the other pediatric urologist is doing NONE- that would amount to one in eight circumcised boys in that region having a circumcision revision. That was not the news story. (If the other doctor does some too- then the rate is even worse.) More circumcised boys are circumcised twice than intact boys ever need to be circumcised a first time- yet culturally we still believe that the foreskin is something to be feared and gotten rid of. ...that being intact causes problems that need to be avoided by electing surgery as soon as the baby is born- but our reality shows that circumcision causes problems...MORE problems...yet our inability to overcome our mindset determined to circumcise creates situations like outlined in this news story- a mom's first son had a botched circumcision- and she didn't want to risk that happening to her second son... so... she got a different doctor to do the circumcision! Did she ever once consider that it didn't need to be done at all? The news story never offers the idea of just taking the whole baby home like the rest of the developed world- the fact that people are going to be circumcising is a given- and the newsworthy question is then- "How can we circumcise better? Because we are messing up really bad right now!"

If you would like to research online, having the right vocabulary and knowing where to look can help narrow down searches considerably- the volume of information out there makes it difficult to weed through it all. If you have any specific questions- I may be able to help you finding search terms. I suggest you start by learning about the anatomy and development of the prepuce. When your child is born, the prepuce is attached to the surface of his glans like a fingernail to a nail bed- the first step in a circumcision is to tear these two immature genital structures apart. The normal process of separating takes several years. Care for an intact baby is very easy- you just wash the outside like a finger. Many (9%) circumcised boys develop a condition called meatal stenosis, this is caused by exposing the delicate internal anatomy of his penis to diapers and abrasion. Many others develop adhesions because of the forced tearing of the immature anatomy- the raw surfaces seek to be bonded again- but due to trauma and scar tissue- the adhesions that re-grow after a circumcision are different from the undisturbed adhesions present from birth.

Also- another way to search theBump is to go to google and put this in the search window-------------> site: community.thebump.com (circumcision) or change the word circumcize, circumcized, re-circumcise, adhesions etc. This method does not provide the entire group of possible returns for the search.

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