3rd Trimester
MommyMarieVas
member
Pro and Cons Please
MommyMarieVas
member
What are the pros and cons of circumcision? My DH wants to get our baby boy done, but I think intact. We can't decide.. I have done research and we are still undecided.. Please give me pros and cons and your opinions
Re: Pro and Cons Please
The reason of not wanting to "traumatize" a newborn is as valid as wanting a boy to have surgery so his penis looks like dad's. (even though a baby or small boy will in no way look like a grown man) A man not remembering a circumcision doesn't mean it wasn't a big deal when it was done. That being said, if someone did research they could find many reasons for not doing it other than possible trauma. You can also find reaons to do it other than looking like dad.
There are so many reasons to do it and not to do it. Search old posts and you will find many, many opinions.
Me: 31
DH: 29, SA - Great
Married: June 12,2011
TTC #1: 1/2014
Diagnosis: Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Treatment: Clomid: 50mg, 100mg, 150mg - not successful and not monitored
Menopur 75ml (upped to 112.5ml), Ovidrel, & IUI IUI #1 8/31/2015
9/15/2015: BFP HCG - 400, 9/17/2015: HCG - 827, 9/21/2015 - HCG 3,327!Yeah but chances are no one cares about your opinion.
Me: 31
DH: 29, SA - Great
Married: June 12,2011
TTC #1: 1/2014
Diagnosis: Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Treatment: Clomid: 50mg, 100mg, 150mg - not successful and not monitored
Menopur 75ml (upped to 112.5ml), Ovidrel, & IUI IUI #1 8/31/2015
9/15/2015: BFP HCG - 400, 9/17/2015: HCG - 827, 9/21/2015 - HCG 3,327!seriously though, Google is your friend. Circ is a personal choice that is best decided between you and your significant other
Married May 16th 2015
July BMB June Siggy
Married: October 2014
TTC #1 since September 2015
I have two kids (one male) and have never been asked about it, or even heard it mentioned... (I'm in the UK).
Is it a cosmetic thing? (That seems so weird...) or like a hygiene thing?
Married May 16th 2015
July BMB June Siggy
Humans are designed to work the way we come out of the womb.
Foreskin is not a birth defect.
I personally don't feel that permanently surgically altering your child to (theoretically, maybe, possibly) aid in preventing sexually transmitted diseases is really a necessary or appropriate action. My infant isn't having sex and I, again personally, think it's weird to assume he'll be promiscuous.
Condoms, monogamous long term relationships, or abstinence all also reduce the risk for sexually transmitted diseases and none of them require surgery to be performed without consent from the person receiving surgery.
Pain is pain.
The infants I've known who have been circumcised have never answered me when I asked them to rate their pain levels or how traumatized they do or don't feel after surgery.
Cause they can't talk.
If they can't talk they can't give consent and they can't object and they can't complain.
Is that maybe a little overly dramatic way to express it?
Sure, but it's how I feel when I hear people say it hurts less for infants as opposed to grown men. Cause see, grown men act like they are dying if the get a cold*. Seriously. Think about that one. They get a cold and they can't even make toast for themselves. So yeah, I imagine they would complain long and loud over surgery on their penis. Where as a baby can only cry and they cry for everything so it's really hard to know how they actually feel about anything.
My other thought on the subject is if you look at the bigger picture, ie a longer timeline and the whole planet, circumcision for other than religious reasons is fairly new and not prevalent in most parts of the world.
As far as I can tell it really boils down to religious and cosmetic appearance reasons. I feel it very much infringes on the rights of an individual to perform cosmetic surgery on them without their consent.
My pediatrician's practice clearly states it is not required for medical reasons, they don't recommend it, but they can perform a circumcision if the parents request it.
So to me, if it's not required for medical reasons, it's not something I think should be done.
These are my OPINIONS on the subject.
Not looking to argue with anyone on this one as my mind is firmly made up on the subject and I'm not looking to change yours if you are firm in your convictions. Just merely offering my views, thoughts, opinions and whatnot on the subject.
For the record amongst my friends and family there is a 50/50 split on circumcised vrs not males and I have offered zero opinions after the fact and only offer my opinion before hand when asked. The OP asked and that is why I am offering.
*Yes, I realize that is a sweeping sexist generalization and my apologies to my strong brothers who CAN and DO make their own toast and even heat their own soup when they are sick. But for many of us I think we've encountered a fellow or 2 struck down by the dreaded He-bola so I gotta monopolize on that imagery to illustrate my point.
TL;DR : my research, pediatrician's stance, and my personal opinion is circumcision is a cosmetic procedure, medically unnecessary and I am personally passionately against them.
Consent.
Infants can't consent.
So it makes no difference if it's mommy or daddy making the choice, it's one human having something done to them chosen for them by another human without their consent or input and I don't think that's cool regardless of it's circumcision for a male or birth control options for a woman.
Married May 16th 2015
July BMB June Siggy
I realise now that perhaps I am mis-understanding the use of the term, and it in fact means "cosmetic" as opposed to "required".
It's not a subject I've ever looked into, since it's just not a thing over here, so I'm finding this all quite interesting.
Something people look at that you feel could be more attractive.
This is why I get hung up on the idea of circumcision being cosmetic. As I said above, I now see the error in my thinking, certainly from an insurance point of view.
Interesting. It's still not covered by mine.
For me cosmetic equals not medically necessary, and meant to change the appearance of. Whether changing the appearance makes the body part more attractive or appealing is more about the culture and society in which it's viewed. It's weird to think of an infant's penis being more or less attractive, but I do think that in some cultures and societies a circumcised adult penis is considered more attractive or at least more "the norm" (and in general what is considered normal for any body part is viewed more favorably, that's why it's the norm).
Married: October 2014
TTC #1 since September 2015