Serious poll for the gents: are you circumcised?

Question

And if not, have you run into any difficulties?

I'm popping out a boy in June and this is something I need to think about.

Answer 1

Yes, I am.





Getting it done prevents certain infections so it's generally a wise thing to have done...

Answer 2

I am not and never had a problem.



This is an informative video called "The circumcision decision" which explains all you need to know:

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-5395565256830319025&ei=si6cSZCZMYnojgKZmcCUDg&q=nocirc&hl=en



There are certain complications to circumcision:

http://www.catholicsagainstcircumcision.org/cac_complications.htm

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



Care is also a lot harder with a circumcised boy.



With an intact boy, there is nothing to do. The foreskin is attached to the glans at birth. So no attempt should be made to clean under the foreskin or pull it back. Separation occurs naturally. Once separated the next thing that happens is the foreskin becomes retractable. This usually happens before age 5 but can occur in puberty. There is no right age - just don't try to pull it back.

Some doctors do not know not to pull it back, so see here for professional guidelines:

http://www.cirp.org/pages/parents/care/



There have been studies which show that circumcision may have damaging psychological effects. It has also been shown to disrupt breastfeeding and maternal bonding. Here is a good study that explains that

http://www.cirp.org/library/psych/goldman1/



The foreskin is an important part of the penis. It contains specialised nerves found nowhere else on the penis. When the foreskin is moved up and down it is very pleasurable. Circumcised men have lost this ability to masturbate easily as there is no gliding effect. So they have to use artificial lubrication to masturbate or even in sex. This page shows the importance of the foreskin in sexual activity:

http://geocities.com/painfulquestioning/naturalresources



Without the foreskin protecting the glans, circumcised men lose further sensitivity. The glans dries out. It also brushes on underwear causing the skin to toughen. This page illustrates the damage done:

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



There are good reasons to believe that sex is better for the woman as well, if the man has his foreskin intact:

http://www.sexasnatureintendedit.com/10F/doctor_northrup.html



Circumcision for non-religious reasons was only taken up in English speaking countries in the late 1800's. The main reason was to prevent masturbation:

http://www.historyofcircumcision.net/

Nowadays only 25% of the world's men are circumcised - 2/3 of these are Muslim. Men in Britain, France, Germany Ireland all do great without having this important body part taken away from them without their consent. The rate in the USA has fallen to 60%:

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

Certain states have dropped medicaid funding. No medical organisation is in favour of infant circumcision.

Answer 3

Both my husband and my son are intact and haven't "run into any difficulties." There's really no reason to circumcise your child. Are you really in Tobago? If so, it's not a common practice there. If you're in the US, then less than 60% of baby boys today are circumcised. In Canada and Austrailia it's only about 10%. In Europe, it's virtually unheard of outside of religious reasons.



www.mothersagainstcirc.org

Answer 4

No I am not, I'm fine like that. The only difficulty I've experienced is when putting on a condom it sometimes gets stuck between the glans and the foreskin. Also if I don't trim my pubic hair a thread may get stuck in there from time to time but that's not a big deal.

Answer 5

Not circumcised and enjoying an amazing feel good Love life as is my Lady.



We both thank my parents for leaving me natural.



88% of the global male population are the way that they arrived. Natural and normal with not problems.

Natures design isn't flawed and doesn't ordinarily cause problems!



Your boy will arrive with the foreskin and the penis head fused together until between age 5 and puberty in some cases. It will be in the easiest way for you to clean, and the safest way for his little jigger ..just like wiping a finger. Circumcision will pose infection potential for you boy, a living hell of pain while it's being done and after every time he wets, and you get stuck with his pain and taking care of the mess.



Any problems with non circumcised infants is usually a result of uninformed parents or relatives doing a change who don't know much and try to slide the foreskin back while cleaning. With the fused condition, you don't do that. You can cause a tare and infection that way.



It's just a matter of you telling others to just wipe or wash the outside, and leave the rest alone.



Me! :- )

Answer 6

My boyfriend isn't and has had no problems...the foreskin is natural...none of us would be here if it caused significant problems. Rememeber most of the men in the world don't get circumcised as it's only really common in Muslims, Jews and the USA. The foreskin is not hard to clean and there's no other body part which we remove before it has problems.



Harriet

Answer 7

No I'm not circumcised.

I've very happy about that.

I've never had any "problems" because of it.



I know a lot of guys that are circumcised and wish that they weren't so I consider myself fortunate. Just leave the decision up to him. It's not necessary at all.

Answer 8

For the mother of an uncircumcised boy, you will need to take extra care to clean. Pull back the fore flesh and clean under that each time you change him and teach him to do it.



My hubby of 18 years is not circumcised and he doesn't have infections and doesn't stink because he knows how to take care of it.



This is a choice you will have to make. It is more work if he is not. You will also encounter much medical interference if you choose not to circumcise.



Be strong and get facts from both sides of the story. Circumcision is an Old Testament thing that medicine now tries to push on you. It means nothing in the way of religion today. So make your choice and stick to it!

Answer 9

I am circumcised and I have run into a lot of issues because of it.



Because the head of my penis never "caloused" over like a lot of boys did when I was younger my urethra would rub against my pants and clothing and it would always cause irritation, sweeling and pain, and it would result to infections because of the irritated urethra.



It caused a problem with sex because circumcision causes a very significant decrease in sensitivity. I had to be more violent with sex and I had to have vigourus thrusting. Yeah my partner didn't enjoy that all the time.

So it caused a problem there because I couldn't enjoy sex unless it was vigerous.



The other diffuctulty with it is that I just hate being circumcised. I mean who asked my permission? I mean is it not my body? since it is I feel that I should have been consulted. It's not a reccomended procedure. Thefore it should be my choice by law.



I just never understood why people did it. It's my body and it belongs to me. It takes away a lot of sensitivity and it causes a lot of problems later if your son ends up hating it.



I have been restoring my foreskin for 5 months now and honestly every day it gets better. It's not 100% the same but it's enough to know that circumcision isn't something that should be decided on someone elses behalf. That's a personal decision for each man.



That's my 10 cents on the subject and how I personaly feel as a male who was circumcised.



-Connor



------------------------------------

Alright I feel the need to interject here.

||☆||T R i N i T Y||☆|| You have NOO clue what you are talking about.



1) cancer of the penis is VERY rare, and it still can happen with circumcised men, the fact that it can't is a myth. Also someone is more likley to die of the circumcision it'self than they are to die of penile cancer.

2) The 60% is NOT protection. Condoms are the protection, not circumcision. If you have sex with someone who has AIDS (unprotected) you will get HIV that's just that. It doesn't matter whether you are circumcised or not. Those sudies are also very controversial because those findings are found only in studies, not in the real world. America has a very high circumcision rate as welll as a very high HIV rate. Countries with lower circumcison rates also have very low HIV rates. So that disproves that theory right there.

3) I am circumcised and I still have gotten that from time to time, especcialy as a kid. What do you know about men scratching their privates? Your a woman so that's not really your area. I know a lot of uncircumcised males and they never have that problem.

4) Oh please? like your genitals smell like a bed of roses? I think not. Women have worse issues with urine in that area so don't even start. Also that "sweat" you are talking about is smegma, and women produce 9 times as much of it. Maybe you could use some perfume yourself?

5) That is 100% untrue. Uncircumcised males on average last longer than circumcised men. And circumcised men are much more likley to get premature ejaculation and other sexual dysfunctions than uncircumcised men. Circumcision causes a lot of dammage to the nerves and blood vessels and functions of the penis. I don't know where you get your information from but I have never heard that.

6) Hold on for a minute while I laugh. You don't have one single clue what you are talking about. The glans penis of circumcised men are larger. But it has NOTHING to do with masturbation. It has to do with the fact that the glans is now exsposed and it gets tough layers of skin building up over the head to protect itself again clothing chaffing. This is what causes a lot of the sensitivity loss besides the loss of 20,000 nerve endings in the foreskin. The head is Calousing over and that causes the increase in size.



I like when women try to say circumcision is better. Who are you to decide what's best for my penis? I make that decision thank you. Every man makes that choice for himself.



The day you get part of your labia removed without pain medication is the day you can sit here and tell me how it's best to cut off 50% of my penile skin and 2/3 of the nerve endings.

Answer 10

I'm not circumcised. I've never had any problems, in fact I'm glad my penis is "intact".

Less than 20% of Canadian boys are circumcised nowadays since its considered an unnecessary procedure.

Answer 11

Nope. I'm not. And I've never had any difficulties.

Answer 12

I would recommend NOT circumcising your son. The benefits do not outweigh the risks. One analysis found that for every 9 boys who might be spared a UTI by circumcision, another 12 boys at the least (the upper estimate was 40 boys) will experience severe complications from the circumcision. Thats great if your boy is one of the 9, but horrible if he's one of the 12. UTIs can be treated by antibiotics quite effectively. Botched circumcisions are much more difficult to fix. Its also worth noting that 99% of intact boys will never get an infection, compared to 99.9% of cut boys. That means you would have to cut 100 boys to save just one of them from infection. Thats 99 boys cut for no reason at all. Out of every 1000 boys who are cut, one will contract a UTI anyway.



Only 50% of boys nationwide are circumcised. Girls of your son's generation will likely have an entirely different view of circumcision as girls from yours. Just because you think intact is "gross" and "unsanitary" does not mean the women of your son's generation will. after all, think of all the differences between you and your parents. Did you know that when your grandparents were young, circumcision was very uncommon?



Next, it is VERY painful to an infant. Most doctors still don't use any anesthesia, those that do rarely offer adequate anesthesia because the only stuff that works is not safe enough to use in infants for such a "minor" procedure. Further, some of the pain meds offered to infants aren't even recommended for use on babies! Some doctors argue that it has been done "for thousands of years" without anesthetic- what they neglect to tell you is that a medical circumcision can take over 15 minutes to complete. A Jewish ritual circumcision, by contrast, takes under 60 seconds to complete (and the baby is given wine) Here is some info on the pain.....

http://www.cirp.org/library/pain/

http://www.circumcision.org/response.htm

http://www.cirp.org/library/pain/taddio2... (note in this one that even infants offered pain meds for the procedure showed signs of post traumatic stress!)



You should also know that studies have shown that the most sensitive parts of the male anatomy of ON the foreskin- NOT the head of the penis. By cutting off the foreskin, you remove a mans most erogenous genital tissue. Here is a study about that.... (note that other studies found no difference, but they neglected to test the sensitivity of the foreskin- they only tested the glans penis of intact and cut men and didn't pay any attention to the foreskin at all) http://www.nocirc.org/touch-test/touchte...



You should know that infant boys are EASIER to care for when they are intact. The foreskin does not retract until late childhood or even puberty, so you do nothing special, just wipe the outside of his penis clean and leave it alone. Furthermore, to prevent painful and bleeding erections later in life, doctors are now commonly leaving more skin behind- in a cut boy this means you may have to push the left over skin back at every diaper change and clean beneath it to prevent it from adhering or infecting. The very thing that mother's think they avoid by circumcising! In short- Intact = wipe like a finger, NEVER retract Cut= vaseline, clean thoroughly, push back remaining skin to prevent adhesions etc (the last step perhaps for several months or years)



Here is an excellent tutorial on the basics of intact care and circumcision....

http://www.lactivistintactivist.com/?pag...



Another factor in your decision is that circumcised boys experience a 12% increase in their risk of MRSA infection. MRSA is commonly picked up in hospitals (where circumcision is performed in non-sterile conditions) and has been known to kill adults. I wouldn't want to deal with it in an infant. 12% is a BIG risk, the risk of a boy "needing" a circ later in life is WELL below that- under 1%. http://www.nocirc.org/publish/12-Answers...



The so called "benefits" of circumcision are generally trumped up. A big one now is that it "prevents" AIDS. All the studies showing "benefits" like this have been poorly designed and inconclusive. Also, for every study that finds a "benefit" there are more studies that find no benefit. http://www.icgi.org/



It is rather eye-opening to see how circumcision first became popular in the US to begin with. It was virtually unknown in this country until the 20th century. This slide show takes you through the rise of circumcision.... http://youtube.com/watch?v=f4unKTMpBGA



Finally, you should watch a video or two of the procedure so you are fully informed of what your infant will go through. I will warn you that these are graphic. If you can't handle watching them as an adult, why would you expect your infant son to endure them?

Gomco Clamp- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...

Plastibell- http://newborns.stanford.edu/Plastibell....

Answer 13

in simple terms had a verify out who and what percentage are right here. i will blow you all a kiss goodnight. purchase a packet of flower seeds to share out among you all. purchase a pint and a packet of straws between you all. thanks equipment M.... carnations are my popular ;o)

Answer 14

As a mother, I have no right to force cosmetic surgery on my son



There is NO reason to have a child circumsied. As for religion, no one has the right to practice their religion on MY body. Your freedom of religion ends at someone elses body. That may be your child, but it is not your penis to sacrifice, kwim? What if your son doesn't grow up to be jewish/muslim? I was raised in a strict christain home and I am now atheist, it happens all the time...



I chose NOT to have my son circumcised. It is not medically necessary, and the very few UTI's that it prevents are negated by the rate of complications. People say that it is easier to clean, but that is NOT the case! With an natural penis, you just wipe like a finger, but with a circumcised one, you have to have gauze, Vaseline, push back skin to prevent adhesion's, and think about it... a fresh wound being soaked in urine and feces all day?!?!?!?!?!?!



The main reason you hear about boys needing to get circumcised at 3 or 4 is because of misinformation. Some old school doctors and nurses tell you that you have to forcibly retract the foreskin and clean under it every diaper change. not only is that not true, it is dangerous! At birth, and sometimes until puberty, the foreskin is attatched to the head of the penis like your fingernail is to your finger. It is NOT supposed to be retracted. It is like this in order to keep the head of the penis protected from urine and feces. Around the time a boy is potty trained, most boys are retractable. (you can pull the foreskin back) is this a coincidence? NO!!! There is no need to clean under the foreskin before it can be retracted because nothing can get under it. Do we need to clean under our fingernails? (the part that is actually attatched) no, because there is nothing to clean.



It is becoming less common is America, so the locker room thing just wont hold up. Even if he does get made fun of for it, is it not our job as parents to build a healthy body image? If your daughter got made fun of for having small breast, would you immediately get her a breast augmentation? What are they making fun of anyway? At least he has a whole penis.... they are the ones that are missing parts



One of the worst things you can do as a mother, is give your child cosmetic surgery to make them "fit in". Basically, you are saying, there is something wrong with you, you had to be fixed, and you should base your self esteem on what others think of you". Actions speak louder than words you know. If you are doing it because "That is what everyone else is doing" All I am going to say is, don't ever say no to your kids when they want to do something that is harmful to their health and they just want to fit in. Kids come home drunk or high? No problem, they just wanted to be "normal", You don't want them to be teased do you?????



Looking like daddy, now this one makes me laugh! Ah, the ignorance of this statement! Since when do toddler boys look even remotely close to a grown man? What are you gonna tell him when he asks like he doesn't look like mommy or sissy??? And since when do teenagers compare penises with their father? This argument makes NO sense!!!



Boys can stay STD free with the use of a condom (which he should be using regardless of his circ status!) and still have his foreskin.



The foreskin is not just a useless flap of skin, it is a vital structure of the penis. http://www.sexasnatureintendedit.com/



If people are so worried about infections, HIV, and Cancer, the why why don't we give all baby girls routine mastectomies? That would eradicate breast cancer, which kills thousands every year, and is MUCH MUCH more common in the developed world than infections of the foreskin, penile cancer, and HIV put together!



The real kicker for me though, was the fact that I believe that we own our own bodies. Who am I to make that decision for my son. It is HIS penis, so it is HIS decision

Answer 15

i am, i dont mind it. I dont have to worry about cleaning there.



I wish i knew what orgasms felt like with it but i never did know so its not a biggie.

Answer 16

I am and I hate it. I feel mutilated.

Circumcision is the amputation of the foreskin, not extra skin but an integral part of the penis; measuring 15 square inches in an adult, over half the penile skin, including the most sensitive parts of the penis. The foreskin is packed with nerve endings, special anatomical features like the ridged band and has a unique elastic gliding action, allowing it to slide on itself and act like lube. This action is what most males use to masturbate with. Circumcised males use what skin they have left, except those who are cut so tightly that they have to use lube or just rub it dry. The intact male can stroke the entire length of his penis using his foreskin and also has the option to use lube too, if he wants to. During intercourse the foreskin acts like lube on entry and may act as a dam, preventing lubricating secretions escaping from the vagina. In one study women reported that sex with an intact partner was gentler and more satisfying since he doesn't have to thrust as hard to feel enough stimulation. Removing the foreskin turns the surface of the glans from an inner mucosal membrane to outside skin. Newly circumcised adults usually go through some weeks of intense discomfort as the glans is constantly exposed to rubbing on clothing, until it develops a thicker keratin layer and becomes less sensitive.

Not one major medical organisation in the world recommends routine infant circumcision anymore. The US is the last western nation still doing this to about 50% of its newborn males but even there rates are falling and many insurance companies no longer cover it, because it is deemed a waste of money. Sadly they often still don't use anaesthetic either and when they do it’s risky and ineffective. It's child abuse, pure and simple.

The penis forms as one organ and at birth the foreskin is usually fused to the glans like a fingernail to its finger. So there is no cavity for germs and dirt to collect in until it separates naturally later, at an average age of 10. Only the boy himself should retract it and then he can be taught to skin back and rinse with plain water regularly.

Misguided attempts to retract too early, often by doctors and nurses, are the main cause of damage to boys’ foreskins and the real main reason for childhood circumcisions.

To perform a neo-natal circumcision the circumciser has to rip the foreskin away from the glans with forceps. Then the foreskin is either cut away or clamped until it falls off. Both methods cause the baby extreme pain and his raw glans and wound sting every time he urinates. It's quite common for the raw edges of the cut foreskin to fuse to the raw glans during the healing process, forming skin bridges or tags. These complications and other more serious ones are often not found till puberty and do not show up in complication statistics.

More serious complications, though not common are immediate. Some babies lose their penis to infection, bleed profusely (often because they are haemophiliac) or even die each year.

The claimed benefits of circumcision are a beat up (based on flawed studies) and don't really exist but medical authorities have worked out that the overall complication rate is higher than all the benefits claimed by the pro-cutting advocates. One by one the claims are disproved but the pro-cutting zealots come up with more and keep quoting the old ones despite the evidence against them. For example you have more chance of dying from a circumcision or losing your penis from infection than from penile cancer. The rate of penile cancer is higher in the largely-circumcised USA than in European countries where less than 1% of males are circumcised. The US Cancer Society does NOT recommend routine circumcision.

A very recent study in New Zealand followed a cohort of boys through life from birth to age 32. About 40% were circumcised. The intact males had a slightly lower rate of sexually transmitted infections than the circumcised but there was no significant difference.

Using surgery to mutilate the genitals instead of washing in a modern western society makes no sense. Normal intact male genitals are even easier to wash than female ones and the same substance, smegma collects in the genital folds of both sexes. A few intact males have problems with tight foreskin but this is only a tiny proportion of intact males. The condition can now be almost always treated with simple stretching exercises, sometimes in combination with a steroid cream that speeds up the process.

I wish I'd been given the chance to choose for myself. Intact men can choose to get cut at any time in their life, though most have no desire to do so. Many men resent being circumcised. It's just not something that most of us talk about a lot, even to our parents.

Your son will grow up with many intact friends and there is every chance he will resent this unnecessary cosmetic surgery.

Geoff

Answer 17

no



I just make sure I wash under the foreskin everyday



dont believe that person that gave 6 reasons why to be uncircumsized



do what u want its your choice

Answer 18

.....I was incised until '88.I had no problems,even in 88 I had no major problems.My wife had a recurrent yeast infection and after consulting several doctors we chose the circa route as a way to see if this was any of the problem.The bottom line was inconclusive.She has not had a sever infection since then ,we made other changes in and around the house and have no problems.

To circa or not to circa.If your comfortable with it then stay intact.

Answer 19

Yes, but I wish they had sonsulted me, first. In other words, I do not believe in mandatory slicing of all male infants.

Answer 20

♦ http://www.nocirc.org/

Read the info about the above link, it will give you some good info about it.

Answer 21

i am circumcised and happy with it

Answer 22

No.

It surprises me how many other people are on here that I've seen!

I don't need a penis anyway so I might just have an amputation when I'm older.

Answer 23

I'm not a gent, but my husband is.

I know a lot of men are circumcised, but it's starting to not be as necessary. It looks more "normal" and a kid probably won't catch a few stares in the locker room, but as long as you're cleaning them properly, and teach them good hygiene, either way is fine. A lot of the problem back in the day was that they didn't shower as often, and didn't worry about germs and bacteria. Whatever you decide, the boy will be fine! It's just a matter of looks these days.



If my husband and I do have boys, they'll probably be cut. His mother would flip if we didn't. (We're Jewish, his side much more than mine)



Good luck and congratulations!

Answer 24

i don't know about other religions but i know for Jewish people it's against religion to not have boy circumsized. So i know all jewish boys get circumsized. But it's also healthier to have it circumsized. According to doctors (don't ask which doctors) if the boy is circumsized he is less likely to have testicular cancer as he ages. Though testicular cancer is rare, if the boy is circumsized he has a smaller chance than a person who's not. Also when the boy showers it'll be easier to clean that part of the penis and if the boy is uncircumsized and it's harder to clean. And he'll have to clean more thoroughly.



But for the most part people do it for religion and/or some do it because it's healtier and a smaller chance of testicular cancer.

Answer 25

Yeah I am. I peed in the doctor's face during circumcision.

Answer 26

ummmm ..... are you asking if some one has successfully walked all the way around me?





Sadly no. I am sooooooo HUGLY .... that if my extreme fatness doesn't exhaust them to death .... the vultures & bats will suck them dry and pick there bones clean.

Answer 27

Yes I am and it makes cleaning that area easy. Although guys uncircumcised say that they have no difficulties so it's really your decision I guess.

Answer 28

I am but wish I wasn't.

Answer 29

I chose to have my lil boy cut. I wanted him to feel like he fit in when in the locker room. If a backasswards Doctor in GA can do a good job I'm sure one in your area can and it wasn't even hard to take care of, healed 100% inside of two weeks, about the same time the umbilical cord falls off.

Answer 30

I was circumcised but I had a donor foreskin re-attached because it makes me look bigger.

Answer 31

Yes.



I've heard that NOT being circumcised can cause health issues. I don't know what they are since I don't have to worry but I've heard being circumcised is healthier.

Answer 32

dont mind me... oh my sister had a rabbi snip her boy's skin... it was not a pretty job... so be careful!

Answer 33

I am circumscribed. I had a poem by Keats written around my member in good standing.

Answer 34

im not

Answer 35

You're just gonna have to find out for yourself, pumpkin.



(Seriuhh ansirr, Good idea to do it. Makes less trouble in the cleaning department later on.)

Answer 36

I am and I'm glad I am...being completely honest with you I remember seeing kids in gym class in middle school and high school that were not circumsized, they did get teased more than those of us that were "cut"

Answer 37

I am circumcised

Answer 38

Yes I am

Answer 39

Yes i am

Answer 40

I am,

get it done while hes still too young to remember

Answer 41

yes I am.



no problems at all

Answer 42

I have 2 boys, and had them both circumcised.



Trust me, you'll be glad you did it



~Shae

Answer 43

Yep I sure am.

Answer 44

yes i am

Answer 45

It is better to get ride of the unwanted skin ,ask a muslim or a jew.

Answer 46

I can send you a picture and you can see for yourself.....I am cut...ouchies.

Answer 47

uim so circumsized, that u can't even see it nemore

Answer 48

Yes, I am.

Answer 49

Yep.

Answer 50

I am circumcised.





The ladies love it.

Answer 51

yep...

Answer 52

I'm done..

Answer 53

yeah, you should deffinetly circumsize your baby. I think he could get and infection or something, and yeah, i've heard it causes problems

Answer 54

I will need proof of all these answers...



Good Gawd I'm not really this pervy. I had my sons done and I think it's better for them. As long as they don't cut too much. Then it might be bendy.

Answer 55

yes.

don't think, just do it for him!

Answer 56

Sure am.

Answer 57

Yes, I am. o.O

Answer 58

yes i am.