circumcision

QUOTE(jasonsmommy @ Jan 24 2008, 10:03 AM) [snapback]587245[/snapback]
I believe I read somewhere in a hospital pamplet that in 1998 or 1999 it was noted as a "purely cosmetic" procedure.. All 3 of my boys are uncircumsized.

Not that I am thinking this far ahead (hioing my boys will never get old enough for sex) but occording to Dr. Oz, men who are not circumsized feel more pleasure in sex because the head is the sensitive part of the penis and because it is not exposed often but during sex it is extra pleasureable. This is not the reason my boys are uncut however.



My husband has told me he's heard the same thing.

 

QUOTE(Susanna+3 @ Jan 25 2008, 09:04 AM) [snapback]588896[/snapback]
How do you know??? have you surveyed hundreds of them and some how had them rate their pleasure on a scale of 1 to 10??? You are also expressing an opinion here which even under scientific study really can't be confirmed...everyone rates pleasure and pain differently, and there really is no good way of measuring either. If men who are circumcised aren't getting much pleasure then i'm sure circumcision aside from religious reasons would've done away with long ago.


Thank you!!! I was sitting there yesterday pondering over this. Seriously, how would anyone know this???? First of all, everyone's idea of pleasure differs. Second, for a true scientific study......there would have to be a group who had sex when they were uncircumcised, then circumcise them and go back and measure their pleasure again!! I don't see many men signing up for that study!! And I definitely agree with your last statement.......

 

It's definitely a personal decision that you adn DH need to make on your own. However, there is research out there that less and less boys are being circumsized these days. Had we had a boy (or if we ever do in the future), we would choose to circumsize, but that's just our feeling. I know folks who have done it and those who have not.

 

QUOTE(Susanna+3 @ Jan 25 2008, 09:04 AM) [snapback]588896[/snapback]
How do you know??? have you surveyed hundreds of them and some how had them rate their pleasure on a scale of 1 to 10??? You are also expressing an opinion here which even under scientific study really can't be confirmed...everyone rates pleasure and pain differently, and there really is no good way of measuring either. If men who are circumcised aren't getting much pleasure then i'm sure circumcision aside from religious reasons would've done away with long ago.


About the whole pleasure thing: I think what is being said (and was said on Oprah by Dr. Oz) is that men who are uncircumsized heads are not rubbed on often by pants/clothing and so when the head is exposed during sex it is extra sensitive.. That is all that is meant by more pleasure.

 

You already got tons of good advice on this topic, but still thought I'd share how we came about our decision. I read all the pros and cons and felt like many that this is the way little boys were made and it felt like an unnecessary surgery. DH is circumsized though and thought I was crazy to even think it was an option. We discussed this with our OB and she said medically she can't say one argument is that significant over another. She said it mostly boils down to being a cultural decision. She said in our area she is circumsizing about 85-90% of the infant boys born into her practice. I think at the end of the day it would be nice for our son to be "like daddy" and also to fit in with the other boys his age. Therefore we have decided to go ahead and have the procedure. It is still something I'm extremely nervous about...I would just DIE if anything went wrong with it. GOOD LUCK making your decision!!

 

QUOTE(jasonsmommy @ Jan 25 2008, 09:23 PM) [snapback]589794[/snapback]
About the whole pleasure thing: I think what is being said (and was said on Oprah by Dr. Oz) is that men who are uncircumsized heads are not rubbed on often by pants/clothing and so when the head is exposed during sex it is extra sensitive.. That is all that is meant by more pleasure.


that's fine in theory, but my point still stands...it's all subjective... and really cannot be measured, and should not be stated as conclusive fact in order to make people feel terrible about circumcising their sons. It's a topic that people do not take lightly. Most parents weigh the issue heavily...and there are those who do it for religious reasons who feel especially strongly about it. And the bottom line is that there is no scientific evidence out there that will make parents who circumcise feel badly about their decision, only the opinions of others. And vice versa there is no scientific evidence, aside from a few incidental cases of infections or problems, which should make parents who do not circumcise feel badly about their decision. Whatever you choose on this issue is not wrong or bad from a scientific standpoint. And like I mentioned before I take major issue with comparing it to female circumcision...I've seen a lot of people (not you or anyone in particular here, but on-line in general) doing this lately and it really bugs me. The two things are just so incredibly different...and female circumcision is just so incredibly horrific it is not even in the same category whatsoever.

 

DH wanted to get our son done - before he was born. I didn't want to. Mainly because they botched my brothers and cut off too much skin, that and it's not really common practice here any more.
Once he was born DH said he couldn't do it anyway and that was that. I think he wanted to get him done so he was like his Dad. Cant really imagine them standing there comparing. LOL.
Anyway, it's a personal decision, and only you and your DH know what is best for your family.

 

During pregnancy, we talked to our pediatrician and OB, friends and family, plus did lots of reading and research. We simply couldn't find any valid reason to circumsize our boys. All expert opinions seem to indicate that the procedure is about 99.9% cosmetic (when it is not done for religious reasons). The "risks" (penile cancer, recurring infections)involved with uncircumsized penises are so slim that both our ped. and OB laughed at the statistics. However, the risks involved with performing penile cosmetic surgery on a newborn (botched circ's) were high enough to take notice of!
We simply decided that there must be a reason why our boys were born uncircumcized, so we decided to leave them that way! :FIFblush:

 

QUOTE(3greysandamutt @ Jan 26 2008, 08:18 PM) [snapback]590930[/snapback]
We simply couldn't find any valid reason to circumsize our boys.......
We simply decided that there must be a reason why our boys were
born uncircumcised, so we decided to leave them that way!


This is the exact same thinking that my husband and I had
when we learned we were having boys.....

 

QUOTE(walker006 @ Jan 24 2008, 04:03 PM) [snapback]587909[/snapback]
To quote good ol' Dirty Harry. Opinions are like A#%holes, some just stink more.
Well imo, I've been with my dh for 15 yrs and have never had a vaginal infection. If what you say is true and the other comment on higher std's, then all countries not circumcising would have a huge crisis on their hands. And clinic's would be over run by woman with infections.


Hmmm... must be the OB who mentioned it to me didn't know what she was talking about... I'm sure she has never read anything on the topic. Also, she didn't say every woman gets an infection, just a higher rate... In any case, itn is not an opinion it is what I was told by a doctor who deals with the female anatomy regularly.

 

Hi, my dh is circ and we always wanted both our boys done.

ds#1 was unable to be done in the first 6 weeks due to hosp for other things, so had to be done at like 23 months under general an. But even had we not wanted to put him thru that surgery at that age, (it was a bit scary)he had to be done anyway....something to do with the foreskin being to small to let penis out...so the dr helped us with that dilemma.

ds #2 was done at 6wks of age and was no big deal (i actually had the two boys healing at the same time)for him, though our ob wasnt for it.

There are lots of ways to look at it, but our deciding thoughts were..

dad was done
my mum is a nurse and thinks it is decidedly cleaner and healthier to be done

and from a womans point of view (sex/oral) (don't mean to offend anyone whose dh arent circ ) i have a strong pref to a circ penis as opposed uncirc penis ( i have only ever seen one uncirc ) and i also know of a friens who has to shower twice a day to keep CLEAN with his uncirc penis....

sorry if tmi...but these were our deciding factors

 

First off I have NOOOO judgment on folks who have decided otherwise, this is just what we went through to decide:

We went through the same dilema with our first DS. It hadn't even occurred to me not to until my midwife said she wouldn't and we'd have to find someone else. That's when our research began. We found that in our area, the rate is 50/50. So our sons wouldn't feel out of place in the locker room. DH is circd and was very interested in reading men's accounts of having to be circd for medical reasons as adults and the loss of sexual pleasure they felt afterwards. One quote that sticks out was a man who compared it to going from a porche to a pinto sex wise. That sealed the deal for him, no circ for our boys.

I was still interested in the health issues and consulted urologists. They could only offer me the 1% increased chance of very rare penile cancer. I watched a video somewhere of an actual circ being done. OMG! Then I had the baby and there was just no way I was handing him over for anything uncomfortable let alone painful. I didn't even want them to give him a bath. That was it for me. No circ for our boys.

We did consider the issue of looking different than Dad. But seriously an adult penis looks so different than a little boys it wasn't an issue for our sons. Just this year the topic came up at bathtime, about looking different. I told DS1 that when Dad was born they thought it was a good idea to cut that extra skin off but when he was born they weren't so sure anymore so we decided not to. He nodded his head and told me he thought that was a good decision. LOL

I think if you do decide to have it done, you or DH should go along to make sure they use anesthetic and to comfort him immediately afterwards.

 

QUOTE
something to do with the foreskin being to small to let penis out...

We had a ped tell us the same thing. We consulted a pediatric urologist who told us not so. He taught us how to take care of the foreskin. Now 5 months later, the foreskin is completely retractable.

 

My daughter is pregnant again, and if it's a boy, I'm pretty sure she will opt for no circumcision. Both the twins were circumcised and I won't go into graphic details here, but please, please be aware that there are sometimes complications - someone mentioned a botched circumcision for their brother - botched is not the word for what one of my grandsons went through. The urologist that specializes in infants that our pedi sent us to actually sent us to a second specialist because he didn't feel confident to deal with the situation. There's more surgery in his future.

 

For us, it was not a question. As a matter of fact, they were both circed at 8 days on my kitchen table, the only time they cried was when the Dr. swiped them with alcohol it was cold! They had no problems or complications.