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The Never-ending Circumcision Debate
To cut or not to cut - the debate rages on...
Early in my training, as a young and eager medical student on my first OB rotation, I was called into the nursery with two other med students. There we were told by the intern that several infant boys needed circumcisions, and that we would be doing these. Excited but afraid, I asked if it was appropriate for us to be doing these without any experience. Not to worry, we were told. Then, after observing just one, we were set free to go do our own. The old, "see one, do one, teach one" philosophy was alive and well. Fortunately, we were a conscientious group and our outcomes looked just fine. But how many I wondered would turn out horrible? Who should be doing these? Surely not medical students.
Somehow this young boy's foreskin would be foreshadowing of my future profession. Jump ahead many years, here I am in private practice, after completing a rigorous general surgery training at the world famous Mayo Clinic and my urologic residency at Tufts/New England Medical Center in Boston. Pediatricians are screaming that circumcision has a high complication rate and is tantamount to torture and child abuse of the worse kind. Urologists are struggling to keep their penile cancer patients alive after diagnosis of a rare but very aggressive killer, after horrible surgery. Then more studies start to appear - circumcision may reduce risks for STD's and HIV as adults.
Here we are today, and the debate continues. So what, if any, is the advantage to a newborn circ? First, to have any advantage the circumcision must be preformed by a skilled and experienced doctor. As a urologist, I prefer that urologists perform the circumcision and if possible pediatric urologists. In all my years I have never seen a complication from a skilled urologist. I have seen real problems from circumcisions done by other doctors who may only do an occasional circumcision. It is my guess that the majority of these complications and problems we all read about serve as the basis for the anti-circumcision hysteria. Like anything in life, if you take the time to seek out the best skilled specialist, you will get better results with fewer problems. You don’t take your new Buick to a bicycle shop mechanic for a reason. This is not rocket science.
Second, the risks from an uncircumcised boy only exists if he has poor hygiene during his life, usually associated with scarring of the foreskin so that it cannot be pulled back, called phimosis. The risks go up if he smokes. These guys are the ones that have a higher risk for penile cancer. It all comes down to regular washing away of the cancer-causing irritating substances that normally build up under the foreskin.
This is the end of the debate in my eyes. Preventing a devastating cancer has never been so easy - soap and water. To follow are a number of scientific papers (opinions of urologists, as we are the only ones I think who have any legitimate right to comment on foreskins. We see the problems from birth to death. I personally don't pay much attention when a pediatrician or OB or internists writes about something that they only read about.)
Should you circumcise your newborn son? It is up to you. There are pros and cons of both sides. If he will be clean, then he can do just fine with his foreskin. My personal preference is for the son to match the dad. And if you do choose to have him circumcised, take the time to find the best doctor in your area to do it. It will be worth it.
Cancer of the penis.
Mosconi AM, Roila F, Gatta G, Theodore C.
Ospedale Policlinico Monteluce,Perugia , Italy
Cancer of the penis is rare inEurope , accounting for less than 0.5% of all cancers. Phimosis and poor hygiene are strong risk factors whereas neonatal circumcision is a contributing factor in the prevention of this disease.
Penile carcinoma: a challenge for the developing world.
Misra S, Chaturvedi A, Misra NC.
Department of Surgical Oncology, King George'sMedical College , Lucknow , India
Although rare in developed countries, carcinoma of the penis is an important problem in the developing world. Circumcision done in childhood offers the greatest protection against this disease. Poor penile hygiene and phimosis are strong risk factors for development of penile carcinoma.
Technorati Tags: circumcision, penilecancer, cancer
Early in my training, as a young and eager medical student on my first OB rotation, I was called into the nursery with two other med students. There we were told by the intern that several infant boys needed circumcisions, and that we would be doing these. Excited but afraid, I asked if it was appropriate for us to be doing these without any experience. Not to worry, we were told. Then, after observing just one, we were set free to go do our own. The old, "see one, do one, teach one" philosophy was alive and well. Fortunately, we were a conscientious group and our outcomes looked just fine. But how many I wondered would turn out horrible? Who should be doing these? Surely not medical students.
Somehow this young boy's foreskin would be foreshadowing of my future profession. Jump ahead many years, here I am in private practice, after completing a rigorous general surgery training at the world famous Mayo Clinic and my urologic residency at Tufts/New England Medical Center in Boston. Pediatricians are screaming that circumcision has a high complication rate and is tantamount to torture and child abuse of the worse kind. Urologists are struggling to keep their penile cancer patients alive after diagnosis of a rare but very aggressive killer, after horrible surgery. Then more studies start to appear - circumcision may reduce risks for STD's and HIV as adults.
Here we are today, and the debate continues. So what, if any, is the advantage to a newborn circ? First, to have any advantage the circumcision must be preformed by a skilled and experienced doctor. As a urologist, I prefer that urologists perform the circumcision and if possible pediatric urologists. In all my years I have never seen a complication from a skilled urologist. I have seen real problems from circumcisions done by other doctors who may only do an occasional circumcision. It is my guess that the majority of these complications and problems we all read about serve as the basis for the anti-circumcision hysteria. Like anything in life, if you take the time to seek out the best skilled specialist, you will get better results with fewer problems. You don’t take your new Buick to a bicycle shop mechanic for a reason. This is not rocket science.
Second, the risks from an uncircumcised boy only exists if he has poor hygiene during his life, usually associated with scarring of the foreskin so that it cannot be pulled back, called phimosis. The risks go up if he smokes. These guys are the ones that have a higher risk for penile cancer. It all comes down to regular washing away of the cancer-causing irritating substances that normally build up under the foreskin.
This is the end of the debate in my eyes. Preventing a devastating cancer has never been so easy - soap and water. To follow are a number of scientific papers (opinions of urologists, as we are the only ones I think who have any legitimate right to comment on foreskins. We see the problems from birth to death. I personally don't pay much attention when a pediatrician or OB or internists writes about something that they only read about.)
Should you circumcise your newborn son? It is up to you. There are pros and cons of both sides. If he will be clean, then he can do just fine with his foreskin. My personal preference is for the son to match the dad. And if you do choose to have him circumcised, take the time to find the best doctor in your area to do it. It will be worth it.
Cancer of the penis.
Mosconi AM, Roila F, Gatta G, Theodore C.
Ospedale Policlinico Monteluce,
Cancer of the penis is rare in
Penile carcinoma: a challenge for the developing world.
Misra S, Chaturvedi A, Misra NC.
Department of Surgical Oncology, King George's
Although rare in developed countries, carcinoma of the penis is an important problem in the developing world. Circumcision done in childhood offers the greatest protection against this disease. Poor penile hygiene and phimosis are strong risk factors for development of penile carcinoma.
Scand J Urol Nephrol Suppl. 2000;(205):189-93.
Related Articles,
Scand J Urol Nephrol. 2001 Dec;35(6):435; author reply 435-6.
Etiology of squamous cell carcinoma of the penis.
Dillner J, von Krogh G, Horenblas S, Meijer CJ.
Microbiology & Tumor Biology Center, Karolinska Institute,
In a case-control study, circumcision neonatally, but not after the neonatal period, was associated with a 3-fold decreased risk...
Related Topics:
Circumcising Newborns May Prevent Penile Cancer, Ways To Reduce the Risk of Penile Cancer
Technorati Tags: circumcision, penilecancer, cancer
40 Comments:
I underwent this ritual at a relatively old age and out of choice then. It has left me with a lot of regrets and am really yearning to know how to restore the foreskin. Is there a medical/surgical way of doing it? Any help will be appreciated.
Google "foreskin" "diabetes"
now Google "circumcision" "adult" "complications" "painful"
I am the Mother of an uncircumsised male child. During my pregnancy I often pondered over the age old question - should I or shouldn't I? The decision wasn't too hard after the birth because I took one look at that baby and thought I should give "him" the option to do this too himself or not. A majority of men in my family were never circumsised. Penile cancer, abnormal sex issues, etc., where never an issue for them. My Husband, however, was circumsised but not by choice. His first son from a previous marriage was not circumsised due to a hernia that could not be corrected until five months of age. By then my Husband decided against it because he felt it would be cruel to hurt him then.
My Husband and I have worked hard on teaching our son proper hygeine. We have never had any problems with him at all.
I think parents should not medically use this procedure unless it is medically necessary. The foreskin is a normal and natural part of the male anatomy. If it wasn't meant to be there, then a male child would not be born with it.
To avoid cancer of the external ear, remove it surgically!
Just in case you want some actual medical information, which completely contradicts what the WebMd 'experts' put in the Never-ending Circumcision Debate, try these links.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12917962&dopt=Abstract
the bottom line is "We found insufficient evidence to support an interventional effect of male circumcision on HIV acquisition in heterosexual men."
regarding meatal stenosis, a very common complication of circumcision"
http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic2356.htm
http://www.drgreene.com/21_1137.html
The Williams-Kapila study, published in the British Journal of
Medicine
http://www.cirp.org/library/complications/williams-kapila/
From The Lancet, regarding UTIs:
http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/UTI/winberg-bollgren/
This is the kind of medical information, gleaned from actual scientific studies, which would provide useful information, and not the conjecture presented as medical opinion that most of the bloggers are complaining about. It would be most helpful, if WebMd staff could translate real medical studies like these, into English the average reader could understand, and use in their daily lives.
Well I think that it is very important for a kid to match his dad. Otherwise he will wonder why he is different, then you have to explain to him and he'll wonder why he wasn't good enough for a circumcision like his daddy, yaddha yada yad... plus, from a woman's perspective, a circumcised penis looks way better. Sorry boys.
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
we were ready to circumcise our son, papers were even signed... we had one last discussion realized that we had this perfect little boy, why were we doing this? so he would match his daddy and so he wouldn't be mocked in the shower...
well, the times they are a changin.'
us moms and dads don't want our perfect, happy, healthy boys to be uncomfortable, right? We do have a choice and all it takes is a little confidence to stand up and say we're not going to do it. why make our sons miserable from birth for our own reasons? didn't seem fair to our little boy. would God have given him a foreskin if he knew we'd take it off? probably not.
we had to explain ourselves to the dr for 45 minutes for our sudden change of heart...
we didn't do it...
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
I am a veterinarian and we do not circumsize animals they are fully intact. They are also not known to wash themselves on a regular basis! The rates of penile cancer and other problems related to the penis are extremely rare so the correlation between smegma and cancer seems absurd to me. I am also the mother of a son who is uncircumsised and agree that the practice is unnecessary. In fact the whole practice (in modern times) was started by a Catholic priest who thought that it would stop masturbation, didn't work did it??
Hi, I am a fourth year medical student about to become a physician and I'm pregnant. My husband and I are weighing our decision about circumcision. After hearing this doctors comments, I have to say I think he was most concerned about letting us know what school and residency he went to and how he is an authority on the issue. Well, I've also seen circumcisions and was never allowed to do one as a medical student and the OB and Family practice residents were only allowed to do them under the supervision of an experienced physician. Maybe his training wasn't as superior as he says? However, from a medical perspective he says it like a true specialized physician. He is sure having urologic surgeon is the way to go. Really how often do physicians have life long follow-up on their patients to know what the complication rate is? I have never seen a study saying that urologic surgeons have less complications than other physicians. My concern isn't who does the circumcision, it is whether "looking like your father" is really a good reason make a life changing decision for your child when proper hygiene is all that is needed?
Only a urologist should be allowed to do circumcisions, if they are going to be done at all. Here in Akron, OH, a female pediatrician actually lopped the head off a boy's penis trying to do a circumcision. It was in all the papers and she was sued. In a similar vein, pediatricians should only be allowed to recommend breast milk, not breast feeding. They don't do breasts and, if a woman comes down with mastitis, she'll find out how true this is.
My husband is intact (uncircumcised). He clearly enjoys intercourse more than any circumcised partner I have had.
Also, circumcision in the hospital can interfere with the establishment of the breastfeeding relationship.
Having been with men both with and without foreskin I think I can give a decent woman's prospective on the subject.
When I saw my first uncut penis I thought it was funny and spent a few minutes playing peekaboo and figuring out how it worked.
With an uncut penis there is less of a need for lubrication, natural or otherwise. The foreskin helps with insertion and allows for a longer sexual experience before friction creates a strong desire to be somewhere else.
A few people always mention that circumcision makes it look "better". After you have seen a few bad circumcisions, and the softer, smooth skin of an uncircumcised penis, there really is no comparision.
On the downside, it really does need to be kept clean. Not for only for the sake of the owner, but for others who enjoy the penis. I have recieved Urinary Infections from uncut partners who were not as vigilent with the soap and water as they should have been.
Now I know most people are probably not likely to consider the sex their newborn will be having years from now. But someday, they may want gran-babies. The awe and love you are experiencing for your new baby is an amazing thing. Shouldn't the process of getting to that point be as comfortable and pleasurable as possible for all parties involved?
Just my 2 cents. :)
I am currently pregnant, and am personally against circumcising my son because of some horrific problems I have encountered over the years. My husband actually bookmarked this site after I requested he do some research. I read the Dr's article, then...kept reading. I really really feel for men who were circumcised as infants.
As a mother, I cannot imagine standing by while someone mutilates my child. I do not believe that my son will grow to excuse this simply because it was done to his father. I can only hypothesize that he will, as many men have, wonder why he was not spared.
As a lover, I agree with most of the women on this site. The penis left intact is visually more appealing, sexually...there is no comparison. Intercourse is more stimulating, less painful and often much long lasting.
Some of the things that I have come across are simply discolored scars; the skin being uneven, thus causing twisting and uncomfortable stretching of localized areas; the lack of enough skin to cover, leading to the very uncomfortable and unsightly hair on the shaft of the penis.
I dated one person who's circumcision-related problems were so severe that he refused any opportunity for sexual contact until he was 26 when after months of dating he confided in me. Because of what had been done to him as an infant, he was emotionally scarred and unable to achieve gratification even after finally finding a willing partner (me). We visited a Dr. together who told us the only hope was a fairly complicated surgery that would shorten the length of his penis, be very painful, and not guarantee to remedy all problems.
Consider all options!
anonymous
circumcision is dated back to Egypt when they did so to mark slaves. I was in the room with my nephew when he was just a day old in the hospital and he had a circumcision. Then they still believed that a infant could not feel any pain and did not offer any pain reliever not that it would make a difference. It was a horrible experience something that I will never forget. It is really wrong.We think other countries are wrong for doing this to girls (which it is!!!) So why do we do it to boys? You can get cancer on any part of your body inside and out. Take breast cancer. Should women start having their breasts removed because they might get cancer? There is no logic. We allow cancer causing chemicals into our food. Food that is marketed to children and nothing is done.Really some doctors should not be doctors even to the dead. Im sure that more men die from car accidents than from cancer of a uncircumcised penis. I guess we should stop driving. Wait that seems crazy but cutting a piece of flesh off of a infant boy seems alright. I have a son and I did not have him circumcised. The fact that he does not look like his father is not an issue. I mean how much does a boy stare at his fathers penis. Also my son has a brain and we talk to him as though he has a brain.He knows about circumcised and uncircumcised penis and why and why not people do it or not.He is glad we did not circumcise his penis. My breast were not as big as some of my girlfriends growing up or my own mothers for that matter. And how many boys stand around and look at each others penis.Even the argument that a boy should look like his father is stupid. THINK!
According the American Cancer Society, vulvar cancer rates are about the same as penile cancer rates. When will circumcisers start recommending amputation of the clitoral hood and labia?
If parental rights do not include sexual abuse, why should they extend to the amputation of sexual tissue?
My 15 year old son is intact, and I have a so-called "botched" circumcision. Let the genital mutilation end with my generation.
Anonymous comments are obviously those without true scientific awareness and knowledge of the penis/foreskin and history--- much less recent scientific studies. For real facts see: http://www.geocities.com/gnaphw. DON"T BE FOOLED BY IGNORANCE!!
After so many anonymous emotion based arguments, who would want to circumcise thier son?
On the other hand, consider the doctor's wise final words-It is up to the family. For all of the emotion and argument presented, who on this response cares more about my son than my wife and I?
We did circumcise our son. Why? the same reason my father had me circumcised and my father-in-law had my brother-in-law circumcised. In both cases, the un-circumcised father did not want his son to encounter the same problems he dealt with all of his life.
Do you have a foreskin that works well? Great for you! Teach your son how to care for his. Did your parents have your foreskin removed "without your consent"? Before you cry abuse, consider that your loving father had good reasons--some physical, some psychological.
So what should you do? Talk to your dad, talk to your in-laws. Make a decision. No need to feel guilty, the "abuse mongers" on this board won't hunt you down. They will never see your son's penis anyway.
I keep reading about all these people that have newborns, and how they have to make the decision on weather to get their son circumcised or not, but not alot on people who actually have experience on either having foreskin or not. I do have my foreskin and I have always wondered what the trade offs of having it were. I've always noticed that all my friends never had theirs and their penis did seem to look better than mine. It always bothers me that their penis looked better than mine, because I'm afraid that women that I have intercourse with might not like the look of my penis. In my opinion, if your a mom reading this for the sake of your new born "Do not get your Newborn circumcised" its not worth it. Well to tell you the truth I wouldn't know, but I can tell you that having foreskin isn't all that bad. I've found out that its softer than most men and that it helps the penis slide better during intercourse. The only drawbacks I have had with my penis is that when I was younger my foreskin swelled up and when I popped it puss came out. This only happened because I didn't know that I had to wash under my foreskin and pull it back. I also had trouble pulling back my foreskin when I was younger, but that went away when I turned 9 or 10.
I believe that having your foreskin will not affect a person growing up, it will actually help because it is less painful and more protected as long as it is kept clean.
My brother-in-law had to be circumcised after marriage because of the pain of intercourse. It was a very bad experience as an adult. I am not circumcised and have not had a problem with pain of the foreskin pulling back. It is probably because I played with it so much growing up that I kept it stretched as I grew. I wonder how many uncircumcised men do have discomfort during intercourse because of the tightness of the forskin. I had trouble with cleanleness because my parents never told me I should pull it back and keep it clean. I saw a boy pull his foreskin back and clean under it while I was showering in gym class. He did me a great favor and never knew it. Parents should teach their boys about keeping this part of their body clean if they aren't circumcised. Bottom line...I am glad I was not circumcised. By the way, circumcision is a Jewish Biblical custom. The new testament plainly states that it is not necessary and I think God could care less.
After reading this article and most of the comments, I was thinking that I should not have my hypothetical future son circumcised.. But the second to last comment about the pus and popping it.. I don't know. Maybe I'll just hope for daughters...
I'll make this quick...
When I was born, I was not circumcised. As I reached my teens, I realized that I could not pull my foreskin back very far (I believe this is called phimosis). I was still able to masturbate and have orgasms, though.
I was circumcised at the age of 16 to correct this problem. We had an experienced physician who only performed circumcisions to do it. The operation was painful, but after I recovered, I found the following to be true:
1) The intensity of my orgasms was THE SAME before and after my circumcision.
2) The operation went fine; no complications happened.
3) I do not feel like I was "mutilated" at all; I am grateful that the surgery was possible. I was unable to have sex before the operation occurred.
4) After having sex now, no woman complains about my penis being "too rough" or running out of lubrication. I also usually use latex condoms which have more friction than the head of my penis.
The bottom line, in my opinion, is that circumcision is not medically necessary for all boys; as long as they keep their foreskins clean, they should function perfectly well. ALSO: circumcised men, as long as the operation did not have any complications, also function well sexually, and should not be viewed as "deformed" or whatever.
All of you just need to calm down about this issue. To all of you ladies who don't even HAVE A PENIS, and all the rest of you, here is the truth. i am 16 years old and i was never circumcised. Many of my female friends have told me that they find an uncircumcised penis repulsive. How is that for "traumatic". Why do some people think it "should be a decision made by the boy when he reaches the age to decide for himself"? I wish i had been circumcised, but I am deff. not going to have it done now! In the showers at school i have been teased and made into a joke. Imagine if i was to return after the summer and they saw i was cut at 16 years old. That would just make it more embarassing. I agree circumcision is a stupid idea and custom, but you cant change our whole country's view on this. Not being circumcised has made my life harder than it has to be. Does this sound better than cutting off a tiny piece of skin during infancy?
IAM A 55 YR OLD MALE. IAM NOT CIRCUMSIZED AND NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEM WITH IT AND NEITHER HAS MY WIFE. AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOURSELF CLEAN NO ONE SHOULD HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. BUT, PLEASE WATCH YOUR ZIPPER IT WILL CAUSE VERY TERRIBLE PAIN, SO DONT BE IN A HURRY TO ZIP UP. THANKS
This post has been removed by the author.
I'm in high school and uncircumcised.
I have no problem with it.
Yeah if you tell some people there like gross or eww,but they don't know
what there talkin about.
The only reason people say eww is because alot of parents choose to cut there babies, and its
what "looks better".
Personally im glad im not.
My mom tought me when i was young how to clean it and keep it healthy.
So i've never had any problems with it.
So to all the pregnant woman
DONT CUT IT, and teach cleanliness
19 Year Old Male:
My first thought is that the argument over what looks better is stupid. This is a matter of health and function. If you've been paying attentiong, the girls on here seem to be split anyways.
I am fairly repulsed that an expert would concluded with something so unscientific as recomending the child match the father. How many times does a son see his father's genitalia? I know I haven't seen my father's penis more than 5 times in my life (usually mishaps that happen when people live in the same building).
As for keeping it clean, it isn't that hard. Hey, I'd probably believe it has some self cleaning properties (though I have never heard of any outside of these posts). The problem is someone needs to tell the child to pull it back and wash once in a while. If you, as a parent, can not discuss such matters with your child, I feel you probably shouldn't be a parent (if this is an issue, how will you handle the sex talk?).
On the topic of sex:
I haven't had intercourse yet (it hasn't been a priority, plus I want my bachalors before I have a child), but I haven't exactly been sexually inactive.
Also, because one must be circumcised or not, I can't answer from both sides. I do have the advantage of being the confident of several female friends.
As I said earlier, appearence should be trivial. The girls on this page are split on the issue. Most of the girls I've talked to don't even care (unless there is something repulsive like scarring or uncleanliness).
In the case of sexual function, having done a lot of research on sexual topics lately (I have a girl friend and we are getting pretty serious. so sue me), I will say the foreskin makes alot more sense. It protects the glans (which is a mucous membrane), so I would think a covered glans would be happier (I liked the eye metaphor, though I think the effects aren't quite as dramatic in the glans penis). The foreskin does have nerves, giving the uncut male more nerves than a cut one. Does this make sexual activity more vivid to the uncut male? I don't know. I will say the concept of natural lubricant as far as foreskin is concerned makes a lot of sense. Play with an uncut penis if you have access to one. Everything just slides. Theoritically during intercourse, the foreskin sorta stays in place and the rest of the penis moves through it, though I doubt it works quite like that 100% of the time.
As far as disease and cancer goes, it seems to me that being one way or the other doesn't make much of a difference.
In the end, it really is up to the parents (at least in from a medical/legal stand point here in the US). In such situations, I would like to follow one of my favorite rules of thumb: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why risk the complications of unnecessary surgery? If you take care of the foreskin, it will not present any problems, though, as always, there are a few exceptions.
As a woman, I personally perfer circumcision. For sexual and health reasons.
Some women agree with me that foreskin just isn't attractive. Now I have had many men agrue that they look the same when erect and that a woman never sees a penis when flaccid. I would just like to say that woman see them all the time, even when we aren't having sex. I am personally grossed out by the uncircumcised penis but I have not complained to my past partners who were not circumcised. Now, circumcision has a higher rate of preventing HIV and AIDs so why not circumcise your child? Everybody knows that most boys won't clean their foreskin just as most boys won't clean behind their ears, and unless a parent is willing to clean their child's foreskin all through childhood then be my guest but the fact of the matter is that most boys won't clean their foreskin which will lead to complications. And even if they do clean their foreskin there is always the problem that there will be even more problems in the future. And there are problems with circumcision but only when the procedure is performed by someone careless and unexperianced. That's usually only when the parent is careless themselves and doesn't take great care in the health of their child and checks up on this.
So its basically whether or not the parents want to check up on their doctor once or check up on their child through their childhood making sure they wash their foreskin.
Plus boys with foreskin tend to have much higher rates of several types of infections of the penis. Circumcision is potentionally better if there is an experianced doctor that does it.
Plus, although this is just from my own experiance but men with foreskin tend to "finish" earlier then circumcised men during sex, and I am thinking this is because the penis is more sensitive with foreskin but a I have never achieved an orgasm while with a man who has not been circumcised. One man could not pleasure me because all I could feel was the foreskin, even though he had a potentially large penis. My sister's ex-husband even had what most uncircumcised men have which is called "smegma". This is where the penis gives of a strong fowl odor, usually cheese like.
So basically I think circumcision is better not only for health reasons but for a sexual preference that most women agree with.
And for an earlier post that says that foreskin should be banned for children and for adults only even for religious reasons. Its their religion and belief that boys should be circumcised after birth. Not to get religious but nearly the whole world would be circumcise their children if a church in the 1900's hadn't said that circumcison shouldn't be done, even though it says so in the bible.
In Genesis 17:10-14 it says that the people should circumcise their children at birth or they would be cast out. Now if there is a religion that states circumcision is wrong then I have no right to go against it, but yet your saying that we should go against it and get consent when they are an adult.
This goes against their religion and no matter who you are you have no right to go against it. I have heard people actually going to the lengths of spreading lies to stop circumcision completely.
I think that since circumcision has basically been here since the dawn of time it should stay that way.
It is not child abuse, child abuse is when you hit your child or deprive them of food not when you do something that could potentially save them from future pain and maybe even save their lives.
I still think that as long as you have an experianced doctor then nearly everybody should circumcise their child.
Plus the "eye metaphor" makes no sense whatsoever. Yes, the penis does have nerves in it but when you circumcise a man you only get rid of some, not all. This goes back to the sexual preference but I would rather have a man whose sexual experiance is duller so there for it takes him longer to achieve climax, which would cause him to take longer and since it takes women longer to achieve a climax, a circumcised man would of course be better.
Although I could be wrong on parts of this, and maybe I make no sense but circumcision IS better.
I could be like my sister who gags every time she sees an uncircumcised penis and who once got into an arguement with another mother over circumcision but I know that each and everyone here has their own beliefs no matter how crazy or how sane they are. I respect that y'all feel it is the child's decision but going to extremes and saying it is abuse when it could help the child.
Thanks.
I am a 50 year old uncircumcised male who had never any problem till the last couple of years. Each time I have sex I get a tiny tear at the tip of my foreskin. Dr. said it was a hair cut but it happens each time on same place. If it were further away from the tip it may not be as bad but I cant pull my foreskin back for a few days because it hurts so when I urinate it burns till it heals. What can be done besides circumcision?
i love my uncut penis, i think it looks better and smoother and its all the same color, than circumcised penises because ive seen some and you could see scar tissue and its like darker and then when it gets close to the head its lighter like what the hell.i keep it clean even though my mom never told me or anything. my foreskin never had a problem retracting. plus i think its easier to play with and pleasure.
michael e. clarke
i am uncut. i am 17. i have been thinking about circumcision just because i have heard some girls say things about uncircumcised penises like they are 'wierd' or 'unattractive'. i am dating a wonderful girl, michelle b., and she was one of those women who thought that uncuts were disgusting and sick. ive been cleaning myself since i was 10 years old, and once michelle and i first got to foreplay she seemed hesitant, then when she felt it, and started to like it. when we first had sex she seemed to love it. i talked to her about it and she said sex felt far better with me then her previous boyfriend who was circumcised. no pain ever occurs or complecation during/after sex. i am still thinking about circumcision. sex for michelle and i is pretty long. shortest time around 45 minutes, i dont know if its just me or w/e but i still think of myself as unappealling. emily h. you are the appitome of ignorant.
My boyfriend is uncircumcised and I normally dont mind. However he frequently gets small cut around the foreskin of his penis that can be seen when it is pulled down. He says this is from irritation during sexual activity and often says the condomn burns. Is this normal?
When pregnant with our first son my husband and I decided it would be best for him and us to have him circumcised, three years later we had our second son and decided again we would have it done.
My husband and I completely agree it would be cleaner and more accepting for our sons to have the procedures done. It is a decision neither one of us regret.
I am curious why you believe the child should match the dad. What kind of medical advice is that?! You're a urologist, not a psychiatrist. If you think only urologists should perform circumcisions, then wouldn't it stand to reason to let the psychiatrists opine about whether it is important for the boy to look like the dad. If the dad is bald and missing an eye, surely you don't advocate shaving the boy's head and adding an eye patch!! And yet, you advocate a medically unnecessary surgery to make their penises, which are usually kept from view, look similar. Frankly, boys and fathers don't see each other naked all that often.
Circumcision liberates the penis into its normal and healthy function. Foreskin is not only obstructive, but secretes HPV, Tyson's Cells, limits sexual penetration, tears causing micro-trauma, infections, limits stimulation between partners, is very unhygienic and stinks even after washing since the virus' keep secreting and doesn't have any real sexual nerves, aside from being a raw infected skin. It is a genetic anomoly for when the clitoris turns into the penis during the embryo changing from female to male during pregnancy. There's a lot of people with mental illness who don't understand that foreskin is rotten extra skin, not a valid body part. Also the spread of AIDS and diseases to the vagina is high with uncircumcised men. The first humans on earth cut it off, all the original religions prescribed it must be removed and despite what the anti-circ looneys say, so-called "non-circumcising societies" have around a 20% circumcision rate, out of sheer necessity for circumcision. Here in America we're really at 80%, since 60% get circumcised at the hospital and 20% outpatient. Dirty, unhygienic and ignorant people tolerate foreskins. But worldwide circumcision isn't "15%" it's around 40%. In the USA all hospitals should have a strict policy to circumcise all male infants routinely. Consent for circumcision is absurd. Foreskin is no different than the umbilical cord skin. Just the peeling of it from the head is painful, the cutting isn't. Ignorance isn't bliss. If people were responsible like they were, they'd just let the hospitals properly care for male infants and circumcise them routinely. Most of the public is not qualified to have a say in circumcision. If they stayed out of it and let the OBYGNs' do their job, we wouldn't be having these problems. All boys need to be circumcised when they are born, anyone who thinks otherwise has psychological problems or is just misguided. It should be criminal neglect to let a poor boy have to put up with that horrid foreskin on his penis. Provided a qualified Doctor does the circumcision, there should be no "regrets", but instead great happiness in being liberated of that dirty, infectous and obstructive foreskin. The Anti-Circs all have psychological disorders. They should be thankful for being circumcised at birth. Circumcision should be part of the vaccination process, and parents shouldn't have any say in it, since it is honestly a medically necessary procedure all males need.
Most men circumcised as adults with tell you the myths and claims of the Anti-Circumcision Lobby are just that, myths! Circumcision is like removing the wrapper to the package something comes in. Unless you plan on never having sex with a woman, maybe foreskin is good for you. But that isn't practical. Foreskin obstructs not protects. Even in the Hebrew language the English word 'uncircumcised' is tranlated to the existing Hebrew word 'obstructed'. Same with many other languages like Greek and Persian. Only skilled and competent circumcisers should be allowed to practice Circumcision upon boys and men. A law should be written enforcing that. A lot of men have had shaft skin also removed with the foreskin. Even then, when enough tension is placed upon the shaft skin constantly the skin doesn't "stretch" it actually grows! Men who have been circumcised too tightly can use non-surgical skin expansion to put constant and moderate tension on the shaft skin. Over prologed periods of time, skin will start to grow downward. No more than 3/4 of an inch should be grown. As to relax the shaft skin and bring back comfort, a meaty normal and healthy appearance to the member as well as more bloodflow. While not expanding skin over the head. The head being exposed isn't where the discomfort comes from in men circumcised too tightly, but from the skin on the shaft pulling the member upward and it sticking out. When you member is hanging downward and wrapped downward in the underwear you will have a lot of comfort back and realize it isn't the circumcision that did you any harm but the fact general ER Doctors were simply pulling all the skin through the clamp and locking it and cutting off the skin. When they didn't calculate the 1/2 more skin which pulls through the clamp when it is locked down. An expert at circumcision would have known this and removed ONLY the foreskin/frenulum, and not of pulled an extra 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches of shaft skin with it. If you have not loose shaft skin, but slightly moveable skin which is healthy and meaty in appearance not "scalped" then you won't have any discomfort, you'll actually have healthy stimulation to the head, cleanliness and be more hyper-sexual for sex than a man who is obstructed with foreskin. A lot of people are ignorant of these facts and suffer needlessly. But with some skin expansion with moderate and constant tension on the shaft skin, a lot of the discomfort and stresses on the shaft can be relieved and pleasure will return. But the head being trapped in skin will not give you the satisfaction you think it will give you, when it comes to the sex act itself. Too many guys restore their foreskins all the way over the head and later need to get re-circumcised, because it isn't what they thought it would be. Most guys with discomfort blame the circumcision and not the excessive shaft skin removal. The circumcision isn't the problem it is the excessive shaft skin removal. Which can still be resolved by skin expansion over about three weeks to a month. Of using tape to hold the shaft skin pulled forward over the head. At first it will seem very odd, but as soon as three days pass or less, you will notice a considerable release of tension and loosening of the shaft skin. After that, it doesn't take long to relieve the excessive tightness. This isn't simply "stretching" new skin cells come forth between the skin cells which are being put under tension. Spaces between them fill up with new skin cells = skin grows. For the men who were circumcised correctly, they have no complaints whatsoever of being circumcised, and still laugh at the Anti-Circumcision Lobby as crazy nuts. There's a simple solution to most seemingly "hopeless" problems. If you do the research or have had experience with circumcision, foreskin, skin expansion, this is easily understood. Most of the Anti-Circumcision Lobby people have some type of Pyschological Disorder. They like to blame circumcision not incorrect circumcision as the cause of problems. They also like to paint a dirty picture of circumcision being "excessively painful and cruel", when this isn't the case. The circumcision itself on infant males is as painful as many other things which happen to all infants period! Such as birth, vaccination shots, conjuntivitis treatments and other neo-natal treatments. The foreskin itself being being clamped and cut off isn't where a majority of the pain of circumcision comes from. It is when the foreskin has to be peeled from the head of the penis, where most of the pain of circumcision comes from. On the infant the foreskin and frenulum are tightly stuck to the head. That is very painful when the foreskin has to be retracted, but it is brief. The hemostats on the frenulum and the application of the Gomco Glamp on the foreskin where it meets the shaft skin is all very briefly painful. After the clamp is applied the foreskin dies and turns numb. Just like when removing the umbilical cord. The actually cutting comes last and it painless. The careful removal of the clamp brings some brief pain too. But after that it's done and the healing time is three to seven days for the infant. As if no foreskin was ever there. After that, there are no problems, there's actually advantages and benefits for the male throughout all of his life. Because of people with existing psychological disorders, we have those silly Anti-Circumcision Groups and Lobbies. Who will blame something else for their own psychological disorders.
I'm uncut.
when i pee i have to shake a lot. to make sure no urine is left under the skin. It tends to smell, I can not clean my penis with soap and water while at school or work.
And my girl situation is rough. I can not get head, most girls think its gross.
showering in the locker room is so hard.
I get made fun of
this has caused many confidence issues.
Girls only know about circumcised penis. that makes it VERY HARD to not be shy...i talked to my parents i want to have the circumcision.
high school has been AWFUL due to this!
This page has been flooded with the hysterical anti-circumcision crowd.
Studies show circumcision reduces risk of HIV and penile cancer, as well as STD's. Circumcision is also cleaner, healthier and more socially acceptable.
But yet some persist with their hysterical shrieking of 'human rights violations' and 'abuse' - they look and sound ridiculous. Perhaps they chose the wrong doctor to perform the circumcision - perhaps THEY'VE NEVER HAD ONE. Either way, they're lunatics and they want a global BAN on circumcision - a FASCIST move if I ever saw one.
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