This one's for the boys

Question

and the well informed mommies...

I'm 37 weeks pregnant and my boyfriend and I are undecided about whether or not to circumsize our son.

I'm really not educated on the subject and I'm looking for some facts.

anyone? pros, cons??

Answer 1

My son is, mainly because my husband is and he felt that they should "match " :) My pediatrician says that it's just a matter of personal preference, either one is healthy and fine.

I'm sure the American Acamdemy of Pediactrics has info on their site about it: www.aap.org

Answer 2

Congratulations on your news!

Whether to circumcise a son is a question all parents face, but nowadays more and more are opting out of it.



Here are some facts I suggest you consider:

- According to a Gov't study, only HALF of baby boys are being circumcised in the US nowadays (compared to 80% a few decades ago) and worldwide only 20% are. When your son's growing up, he wouldn't be in a minority if you don't circumcise him...

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_1...

- Circumcision is now seen as medically unnecessary. The AAP does not recommend routine circumcision anymore. They say "it is not essential to the child's current wellbeing."

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi...

- The f******n is not just a useless flap of skin. It holds many protective, sensory and sexual functions, and since the invention of the shower, its real easy to keep clean!

http://www.noharmm.org/mothering.htm



- An baby's uncircumcised p***s requires NO special attention. You don't need to clean under the f******n after every diaper change! He'll discover his f******n whenever he's ready (which won't be retractable until the age of 5-10) and then its a case of simply educating him about his own personal hygiene.

http://www.parenttime.com/babytips/careo...

http://www.circumstitions.com/Care.html

I think you should leave your son’s p***s intact — He’ll be a bit of perfection when he’s born so 'if it aint broke dont fix it'!

Answer 3

I'm a mom of two uncircumcised boys who have never had any infections and I'm having another boy in a couple months who will also be left intact.  

Check out these web sites and learn as much as you can.  Your decision will effect your son his entire life, and once he's circumcised you can't change your mind.

There's one thing you might want to mention to your boyfriend about the pleasure of s*x with and without a f******n.  The head of the p***s has 4,000 nerve endings.  The f******n has 20,000 nerve endings.  Compare that to the 8,000 nerve endings in the clitoris that give us women pleasure.  That's got to be a HUGE difference in the way it feels, don't you think?

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.o...

http://www.nocirc.org/articles/fleiss1.p...

http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/

http://www.intact.ca/vidintro.htm

http://www.cirp.org/library/procedure/pl...

EDIT:  I just read through the other answers and saw that someone said you'll have to push the f******n back to clean under it.  Absolutely false.  NEVER push a baby's f******n back.  It isn't retractable at birth and forcing it back will just cause the baby pain and possible infections and adhesions.  You don't have to do ANYTHING to an intact p***s until it's retractable, which usually happens anywhere between the age of 5 and puberty.

Answer 4

It is fact that uncircumsized men are more likely to transmit STDs from females.

Answer 5

You will find this topic to be highly controversial on Y/A. You will also find most supporters of circumcision to be from the United States and those opposed will mainly be from other Countries, especially Western Europe. I researched Circumcision before coming to the conclusion that circumcising my 2 sons was right for them. They both are happy that they had the surgery while they were infants...my younger son (he's 14) plays alot of Sports,so he has seen uncircumcised penises in the Locker room on occasion...and as I stated, He is happy he is circumcised (he feels uncircumcised penises just don't look right, I tend to agree).  Aside from the more appealing look of a circumcised p***s...there are many studies showing the value health-wise of Circumcision.~~Aloha~~

An American Mom.

Answer 6

My son was born 6 months ago and I never even considered circumcising him.  I am US born, and not circumcised and I would have it no other way, but the difference is I have the option to have it the other way.  This is not a choice you should be making.  It should be left to your son.

Global Scorecard:

660 Million Circumcised Men.

2.7 Billion Uncircumcised Men.

68% of the circumcised men in the world are Muslims. Outside of the US circumcision is only common to Religion and Tribal custom.  Plus the Philippines and South Korea.

The US is the only first world country where the majority of boys are circumcised.  As of 2005, only 56% of newborn boys were circumcised before leaving the hospital.

http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/stat...

As for some of the things said above:

UTI's.  According the the American Medical Association, it would require 171 circumcisions to prevent one UTI.  I am betting a circumcision is more painful than a UTI.

As for as STD's.  Here is a link to two studies done in the US.

AIDS in the US Navy, this study found circumcised men to be slightly more likely to have AIDS, although with out statistical signifigance:

http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?...

Circumcised men in the US were 53% more likely to have Genital Warts than uncircumcised men according to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey:

http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/h...

All I can say is I am glad I wasn't circumcised, but if I didn't like that I still had an option.  Leave your son the option.

Answer 7

Circumcision is a very old practice, first started by the Hebrews in the time of Abraham. It was a covenant sign between God and his people. Now, it's more of a personal preference. I heard that circumcision reduces the number of UTI's for boys, and it helps them keep themselves cleaner. When you circumcise, it also takes away a lot of nerve endings. I would say that's the only con. My husband and I decided to circumcise our son. I mainly left that up to him, and he definently wanted to circumcise. It's honestly a matter of preference. There is no right or wrong way when it comes to this.  

Answer 8

i had my son done . i always heard it is cleaner and usually when they get older and if it isnt done already , and they want it done it is alot harder as you get older (did i explain that right ?) . it's suppose to cut back on alot of health issues as well .  

Answer 9

I had my sons done and I also heard it was cleaner and also I kno some ppl who arent and they wish they were. Also i think it looks better LOL but if you dont get it done your going to have to push the skin back and clean in there here is a site i found with pros and cons

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/circumc...

Answer 10

i'm european, and this is not even an issue from where i come from. i never even thought about it! my son is not circumsized, but he's 5 and he's clean, and i taught him how to clean himself properly. he never had infections etc.

i think that as someone else said, it's something natural, so there's nothing wrong with it. many also talked about aesthetic - but i can't see anything non-appealing in an uncircumsized p***s. however, as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

good luck in your choice.

Answer 11

I've heard the stories from both sides, and really there is no decision better than the other. If you do circumcise, then it'll be easier to clean for you and him in the future and is the American norm. If you don't, it's just as difficult to clean as we women are with all of our folds and such and he'll have alot more sensation because the head of his p***s will not be roughened up from being in a diaper/underwear. Even after my son was circumcised and healed I still had to pull back his f******n a little to make sure he was all cleaned up. We really did it because that's just the way his father, grandfather, greatgrandfather, etc. were.

Answer 12

Good luck and I hope you don't get any mean responses!

But what I did was google "unbiased info about circumcision"

There are LOTS and LOTS of anti-circ sites, and some that support the parents choice.

Here's what I know.

Pros:

-Hygiene (it's not true that it's un-hygienic when the f******n is intact, but there can be issues if the boy doesn't learn to clean correctly, which is for the parent to teach him to.)

-Infection (there is a greater chance of infection with f******n, but it really is almost negligible [doesn't make that big of a difference]. My grandpa went his whole life intact, but had to get circumcized at almost 70 years old because of infection.)

-Appearance (Obviously, this is in the eye of the beholder.)

Cons

-Mutilation (Why would nature put something there if it didn't have a purpose?)

-Pain (Well, skin is being removed, it will hurt the baby)

-Risks of the procedure (Doctor may cut too much, etc)

-Unnecessary - No medical group endorses this procedure.

There is obviously more information.

Here's my stance on it, and yes, I am prepared for the thumbs down, but I hope this helps you.

My husband and I talked about it. We initially just said we were doing it because my husband and his family, and my family, -- it's just the norm.

But then we had a talk with our doctor, who is a man, who seemed to be against it, and had all kinds of stories about men growing up and resenting (actually sueing their parents) for having it done to them.

So I researched a little more. I found all the info about it online and in books. What I don't like is that I am pretty much in support of keeping all things natural, and well, cutting it off isn't that natural. Also, I don't want my baby to be in pain. So I brought up the issue again because I wanted to share the information I found with him so we oculd either change or confirm our decision.

What we decided was that he will be circumcised. My husband has a p***s, so I let him be the ultimate judge. He knows whats what in that department that I couldn't begin to understand. So.. I hope this helps you.