Circumcision?

[yu254261]

Hi All,

I am looking for some advice as to whether or not to circumcise my son?  In Canada it is not done in the hospital at birth anymore, it is outpatient and it costs $300 (but that is not the issue).

I used to be against it becuase of the pain but I have talked to drs who said they did babies who slept throught the procedure and that they believe the pain receptors aren't fully formed yet, so its not bad at all (and tehy give a local anesthetic).  

We are not religious so there's no pressure there.  My Mom says "yes" because there is a decreased risk of STDs by Husband says "no", why bother (although he is) and I am running out of time to decide.  

Anyone else out there in my boat, or someone with some ideas, I would appreciate it.

[Spiket77]

Not happening in my house. My husband is not circumcised. He is not embarrassed of it. He is not dirty or unhealthy. He does not carry HPV or AIDS or any other STD. His parents taught him well and I'm sure you will teach your son well too.

Also, He has all of the sensation God intended him to have in that area. I believe uncircumcised men are better lovers as a result of that. Just my humble opinion. It would be like someone cutting the hood of your clitoris.The foreskin contains about two thirds of the nerve endings in the penis, that is about the same percentage as contained in the clitoris.
Sorry to be graphic but it's true.

[Karoline2010]

I would never circumcise my son

[tsie]

Actually,i'm from africa and cicumsion in africa is a cultural thing not about hygiene. The aspect of male circumsion to prevent hiv is a recent introduction in africa.Men in africa have been circumsised since forever in africa and its not every cultural tribe that does it.My dh is not circumsised becoz his culture does not demand it.
And we do have access to showers and antibiotics.Its a shame what the western media makes u to see about us.We are normal pple who live in normal houses,drive normal cars,have normal jobs and live normal lives. Poverty is a part of africa just as it is a part of any other part of the world.
LOL!!!

[WifeofAnt]

The reason I say circumcision does not prevent the spread of HPV is because you don't even need to have sex to contract it.  It can be spread by just touching someone else then touching yourself (although it is less likely it is still possible).  At any time half of all women 20-24 have a strain of HPV (its harder to detect in men).  Most strains are harmless and even the 'dangerous' versions can be cleared up by the average woman's immune system before she even knows she had it.  The only near guaranteed way to not get it is to not have any sexual contact or 'wait until marriage' so the infection doesn't have a chance.

[Chez_lee81]

Just another point of view. It goes in and out of fashion. DH is not done, his father is. I have two boys and only one is done. DH says it is no bother, it does not bother me and he did not find it a problem not being done as a teenager. Medical society seems to change thier recommendations every 5-10years.

[neecy28411]

i agree with there is no reason to do it and its a personal decision but whats with the hang up on africa not having showers and their hiv rates? im not from africa or anything but it was just wierd to me that both ur comments about disease and being unclean had to do with it. idk probably hormones and reading too much into it. but at least we all know someone who wont get talked into circ ive seen a lot of people who felt they neede to or got talked into it and regret it so good for u and i hope yu254261 makes the decission that she is comfy with. nite all

[Chez_lee81]

One of my boys is and the other isn't. My older boy was circumcised just because it was the done thing. It was fully medicare covered as an outpatient and it was easy to find a doctor to do it. Eight years later when I had the second boy it was a big issue. There were no local doctors that would perform it, there was big out of pocket expense(I agree that this doesnt matter) and it just seemed like to much bother at the time.

They dont know or care if they are circumcised. It is no harder to maintain hygiene. It really just doesnt matter these days. I am neither for nor against, its purely subjective.

[WifeofAnt]

Really I can't see any pros to getting it done.  
-HIV studies from Africa?  Not applicable in the US (highest circ rate AND highest HIV rate in the developed world).  
-STDs?  Condoms are much more reliable and pretty cheap too.  
-UTIs?  50-100 circumcisions would need to be performed to prevent a **single** UTI.  Girls get WAY more than boys anyway and we aren't cutting pieces off of them.
-Cancers?  Your son is MUCH more likely to get breast cancer than penile cancer and cervical cancer only has one cause, HPV.  Circumcision does not prevent the spread of HPV.

[WifeofAnt]

If there is no specific reason (medical need, religion) to do it then leave it alone, he can get circumcised, with proper pain medication, when he's older if he chooses to.  If you choose for him now he has no say in the matter.

Anything that circumcision can do for him soap, water, and condoms can do a heck of a lot better anyway!  We aren't in Africa, we have 24/7 access to showers and antibiotics.

Besides I couldn't do that to my baby.  I love him/her (we don't know yet) too much to have someone cut up on them for no reason.  So what if I have to teach them to wash it?  Its not a big enough inconvenience to put a baby through that kind of pain

Babies react differently to pain than adults, just because they're not crying doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, sometimes 'going to sleep' is the only self preservation mechanism they have.  'Pain receptors' are fully developed by 23-28 weeks gestation.  The thought that newborns don't feel pain was disproven so long ago anyone who still believes that needs to have their medical license revoked.

[weirdo1989]

There are pros and cons to getting it done. Though if I ever have a son, my boyfriend and I agreed we'd have it done for him. My boyfriend is uncircumcised and hates it. He says it's a pain in the butt and just annoying. The procedure is painful, but it only lasts for a small amount of time and as a baby the boy will heal a lot faster than if he has it done as an adult. My boyfriend was thinking of having it done now, though I don't want to see him go through the long recovery. It's just much easier to get it done as a baby. A lot of the reason for why the baby screams if because they are terrified, not just from the pain. They don't know what is going on and they are scared. Talk to your husband about why or why not to have it done. I wouldn't move on anything without an agreement. Good luck.

[neecy28411]

my boys are done and the one son i was in the room with i can tell you the dr is full of s*** becuz my son screamed from the moment they gave him a shot until well afterwards and it  so terrible to watch him in pain and his little penis was so raw and i hated to change him oh it was real bad but if you do do it it does heal in a couple days but do not go in with him youll regret it if you do. its a personal choice and whatever you chose was your choice to make good luck

[JoyRenee]

As you can see from the comments above you will have different opinions and women doing different things. Only you can make the choice. Some people consider circumcision to be genital mutilation and feel they are born with it so leave it.

However I am for circumcision for many reasons (none of which will matter to anyone since it is my personal beliefs) so if we ever have a son he will be circumcised.

Continue to talk to your husband and don't do anything until you both agree.

Per the pain issue- it DOES hurt. Babies do feel pain and it will definitely be tender. However if local anesthetic is used that is good as most places do not use it. I would never ever get it done without anesthetic.

[Clysta]

If I ever have a son, I will not be getting it done. It seems to be pointless to me, and as long as the boy practices basic hygiene, there's nothing to really worry about.

[Heatherm4]

I'm not getting my son done. My husband isn't and I want them to be the same. It's not an issue if they know how to take care of it the right way. I believe like Majikat said...they are born with it for a reason.

[feather2e]

I chose to get my son circumsised and would do so again if I was having another son. There are pros and cons either way. I truly believe here is no right or wrong decision, it is your personal choice. However in your case, I believe if your husband says no then you should respect his wishes.

[HeatherLF16]

I have done a lot of research on this topic before making a decision.  I am having my baby boy in a few weeks (35/36 weeks now).  I have found that it is not medically necessary to get it done, and just because a boy is not it doesn't mean they will have health problems (they just need to know how to clean it right).  There are occasions where circumcision itself could cause infection too.  
But, my husband is and I want them to look the same.  I have gotten many opinions from the people who have to live with it which are men that I know.  All say it is best to get it done because of the social aspect.  In the locker room men willl make fun of and give other men a hard time about not being circumcised.  Also, I know someone who did get an infection from having it not done when he was 13 and decided to do it.  He begged me to do it to my son because of the pain he endured getting it done while he was older.  I have also talked to me who are not cicumcised that are embarrased about it and wish their moms would have done it.  But, even though I decided yes to the procedure I am still nervous about hurting my baby.  =(  It will be for the best in the long run.

[karla78]

I think its a personal choice and what you believe in. My boy is, we decided  to do it because his dad is and hygiene would be easier....There is really not  REAL reason to do it. If you decide not to, you reaLly need to teach him how to clean it and all that good stuff because if it guess infected its worst.  My nephew is not, but his dad isnt either so his dad knows what he needs to teach him on how to clean it....its really YOUR CHOICE,

[ammanda]

This topic usually starts a huge conflict, so be prepared for hundreds of different stories and be open minded.. lol..  I had my son 7 weeks ago and chose to get him circumsized.  Its a personal descion.  I did it cause of health factors in the long run.  I knew they were gonna do it to him in the hospital before we left but they never told me when, so one time they took him for his vitals they did it without notifying me, so i was okay with it, and by the time i seen him again and they had told me they did it, he was perfectly fine, and they told me he barley even cried so I felt okay.  But I live in Michigan and Medicaid covers it right at the hospital. But even if they didnt I would def. pay the 300 dollars to do it, Thats just my belief. theres many risk factors, health problems, Hygiene problems. and its really all just peoples opinions.  But just go with what u believe in.  

[becca_3456]

Leave him intact. There is no reason to circumcise him.

[Majikat]

I never did it with my two boys.... I think they come out uncircumsized for a reason.... Also I couldn't stand to put them in pain
it's a personal decision

most people base it off of if the father is or not so then the little boy won't be confused of why they look so different