When circ's go bad...

hippienurse · Nov 29, 2005

I was always totally against circ'ing as uncessary until I read a medical journal article (I was referred by a friend who is a doctor) about cancer of the member. Basically 100% of men who get it are uncirc'ed. So, for this reason and this reason only will I have my boy circ'ed if I ever have one. I figure it is a bit of pain they won't conciously remember whereas most with that cancer have to have a penectomy or partial penectomy.

*shrug* May not make sense to some, but thats my .02

mstigerlily · Nov 29, 2005

Not true that only uncircumcised males get penile cancer. Also, most of the cases of penile cancer have been attributed to HPV (just like cervical cancer which they previously tried to blame on the foreskin as well):

"Penile cancer is one of the rarest cancers - rarer even than breast cancer in men - and figures for it are hard to come by. Circumcised men get penile cancer at about the same tiny rate as intact men. Studies that seemed to show a correlation had not been corrected for age; penile cancer is a disease of old men, and the old men with cancer in the studies had simply been born at a time when circumcision was less customary than when the younger men without cancer were born. When men of the same ages were compared, the correlation vanished."

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

Male breast cancer amounted to 1,400 cases, with 260 deaths, so American men are more likely to suffer and die of breast cancer than penile cancer - yet no-one suggests neonatal amputation of a male's useless breasts to protect him against this malignancy. Also, according to statistics at the American Cancer Society, being a female with an intact labia is twice as dangerous (labia cancer) as having an intact foreskin (penile cancer). I wonder why no one removes male breast tissue and women's labia's at birth to prevent cancer later?

Figures from the American Cancer Society.

I was always totally against circ'ing as uncessary until I read a medical journal article (I was referred by a friend who is a doctor) about cancer of the member. Basically 100% of men who get it are uncirc'ed. So, for this reason and this reason only will I have my boy circ'ed if I ever have one. I figure it is a bit of pain they won't conciously remember whereas most with that cancer have to have a penectomy or partial penectomy.

mstigerlily · Nov 29, 2005

As for how they do them over here, they simply dont, not on babies anyway. I have seen one circumsision on an adult who had tight foreskin and that was done under an epidural.
Like I said before I read through all the posts on the board and found that there was quite a lot of mentioning of circs being done without any anaesthesia. That's what got me so worked up in the first place. I'm glad to hear that it's not always painful.

I work in postpartum and see lots of circumcisions in the nursery and MOST (not all) of them have some form of pain relief. How effective it is - that's another story.

You are so lucky to live in a country where the idea of circumcision is unheard of and an intact member is normal. I wish I did.

mitchsmom · Nov 30, 2005

I work in postpartum and see lots of circumcisions in the nursery and MOST (not all) of them have some form of pain relief. How effective it is - that's another story.
You are so lucky to live in a country where the idea of circumcision is unheard of and an intact member is normal. I wish I did.

Only a couple of docs in my town do all the circs and they don't use pain relief (unless you consider a pacifier pain relief).

kadokin, ASN, RN · Apr 23, 2006

Must confess, I didn't read the entire thread, but I am surprised by the mention of opting for circ's to "look like Dad" and others. I had always been told that (outside of cultural/religious religions), circumscision was more hygeinic that not. Is this a myth? BTW, once had a boyfriend who had to be circ'd as an adolescent. He remembered this as an extremely traumatic event. Seems to me, if you're going to do it, might as well do it early and get it over with.

Another country heard from.

ayndim · Apr 23, 2006

I think for babies that being uncirced is more hygenic. I have two little boys and nothing ever got under the foreskin. They have never had a UTI. And I never retract it. They can do it when they are older and there Daddy shows them. Don't need to wash under it just yet. As for adults, how hard is it to clean one. Really!! Just pull it back, wash, rinse and push it back.

As for it being traumatic for teenagers or adult men, imagine how it is for an infant who has no idea why surgery is being performed, especially for the little ones who get no numbing or pain killers. On a side note, why are there so many men in the U.S. who "had it done as adults" yet very few Europeans.

Kaseyrn2b · Apr 24, 2006

I think for babies that being uncirced is more hygenic. I have two little boys and nothing ever got under the foreskin. They have never had a UTI. And I never retract it. They can do it when they are older and there Daddy shows them. Don't need to wash under it just yet. As for adults, how hard is it to clean one. Really!! Just pull it back, wash, rinse and push it back.
As for it being traumatic for teenagers or adult men, imagine how it is for an infant who has no idea why surgery is being performed, especially for the little ones who get no numbing or pain killers. On a side note, why are there so many men in the U.S. who "had it done as adults" yet very few Europeans.

Hmmm very interesting thread. I guess there's no easy answer here. My ds had it done, 3yrs ago now. I was very reluctant, but in the end DH 'won' that argument. DS had anesthesia and pain relief afterwards. I can honestly say if it weren't for the fact that 90% of the boys in my area get it done, I probably would have fought DH harder. Probably sounds strange from someone who had surgery done on their son, but I do hope the occurance continues to decline. ANd , I am very happy to not have to make that decision again, as I am pg w/ a girl.

tinyscrafts · Apr 24, 2006

http://www.birthpolicy.org/ here if you scroll down there is an offer for a free DVD on the circ decision and foreskins for childbirth Educators and birth professionals to show expectant parents

nursejennie76 · Apr 25, 2006

i should probably stay out of this debate but I guess i will put my 2 cents in. I am all for circumcision, I just think the uncircumcised member looks bad. But I had a very good example of why it should be done today, had to cath a older man ( I work in ER ) He was uncircumcised, and there was so much thick, yellow, smelly stuff in there that I had to clean for 10 minutes before even attempting the catheter. The head of his member was inflamed and even looked blistered. Well I will stop with my gross description, but I think all boys should be circumcised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

ljds · Apr 25, 2006

i should probably stay out of this debate but I guess i will put my 2 cents in. I am all for circumcision, I just think the uncircumcised member looks bad. But I had a very good example of why it should be done today, had to cath a older man ( I work in ER ) He was uncircumcised, and there was so much thick, yellow, smelly stuff in there that I had to clean for 10 minutes before even attempting the catheter. The head of his member was inflamed and even looked blistered. Well I will stop with my gross description, but I think all boys should be circumcised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

But with that line of thinking, all women should be circumcised, too; at least, have their labias removed. It certainly would cut down on urinary tract infections and self care issues in elderly women and in those unable to clean themselves appropriately for whatever reason. Maybe we should wait until people, men and women, are at an age where they can consent to the surgery themselves. 18? Then they can decide whether or not they want to be circumcised.

APP · Apr 25, 2006

Here is a site that will make anyone re-consider circumcision

(warning: graphic photos)

http://www.circumstitions.com/Restric/Botched3sc.html

RNnL&D · Apr 26, 2006

i should probably stay out of this debate but I guess i will put my 2 cents in. I am all for circumcision, I just think the uncircumcised member looks bad. But I had a very good example of why it should be done today, had to cath a older man ( I work in ER ) He was uncircumcised, and there was so much thick, yellow, smelly stuff in there that I had to clean for 10 minutes before even attempting the catheter. The head of his member was inflamed and even looked blistered. Well I will stop with my gross description, but I think all boys should be circumcised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Check out the pics on the website listed above. Especially the galloping gangrene section. That's a darn good reason not to circ. I'm glad I didn't put my son at risk of that.

And looking at those pics, the member isn't necessarily all that attractive, regardless. :trout: