phimosis???????

my 1yr.2month old son had recurring uti.....and the doctor said it is possible he has phimosis and advise circumcision.......what can you advise?????

[Dr_Veena]

Hi,
      Thanks for writing in. Phimosis is a condition where fore skin is impossible or painful to retract. At birth the fore skin is tight and cannot be retracted and this is normal. Only when the child grows 4 years and more, if then fore skin is not retractable this should be considered abnormal and intervention should be taken up.

But in certain children due to pooling of urine and tight foreskin, infections might develop even earlier, in such cases circumcision should be considered.
Best.

[HumanRightsGuy]

There are much less invasive procedures for curing UTI's than circumcision. Please consider those first, as is the course of any prudent medical treatment.

Most foreskins are retractable by age 4, but it is NOT abnormal to be unretractable, to some extent, well into adolescence. Do not forcibly retract the foreskin, even in older children.

[z726]

Has his doctor diagnosed the cause of the infections yet? This would be the first step in preventing them. Circumcision removes the skin on the outside of the penis, and will likely do nothing to help. Be skeptical of any doc who jumps to conclusions like this.

[rmprdl1964]

It might be best to consult with another doctor. One of my sons had ballooning while urinating yet he never got an infection.
I myself hhave gotten too many infections to mention. It was discovered that I have a neurogenic bladder.

A proper diagnosis should be made before even considering circumcision. At a year and 2 months your son is quite young yet. Seldomly to never does the foreskin retract at that age. One son was able to retract his foreskin at the age of 4 and the one with the ballooning was able to retract his at the age of 2 to 3. Most of them at that age will not be able to retract the skin to expose the glans (glands) completely. Some will not even be able to completely retract the foreskin untill they are in their teens.

It is important to be sure of the cause of the infections as they can lead to other problems. A foreskin seldomly is the cause of infections. If a second doctor would recomeng circumsision perhaps that should it be considered if the second doctor is convinced of the foreskin being the problem. One thing to keep in mind is the fact that if this occurs in the US or Canada, it is because of trend and a way for doctors to get paid for a simple procedure.

God bless,

Ron