# Circumcision - advice sought **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 27, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830 "2009-05-27T18:54:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/21 "2009-05-27T21:39:18Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > It appears you’re right; however, this is a recent change, within the last 10 years. My understanding came from my friend’s dad, who watched my friend’s circumcision and vowed never to put another child through that pain again. This was 25 years ago. > > [Here](http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9712/23/circumcision.anesthetic/) is a CNN story I found from 1997, 12 years ago. Choice bits: Yup, but what the docs in that study found “horrifying” wasn’t the procedure itself, but doing it without anesthetic - which isn’t done these days anyway. With anesthetic, it isn’t particularly horrifying (at least, compared to all the other traumas associated with being born, it’s a mere pinprick). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/22 "2009-05-27T21:56:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Obviously it all looks the same when hard… It does? I can pull my foreskin back in either the flaccid or erect state, but it doesn’t automatically pull itself back under any circumstances. As you can infer from the above, I’m not circumcised, but my dad was. I was aware of the difference, but if I ever asked about it, the answer was just “Daddy’s different”, and that was enough. Likewise, I also knew that Daddy’s was a lot bigger, but then, everything about him was bigger than me, so that was hardly surprising. I don’t think either ever caused me any particular stress. Personally, I would not choose to circumcise any son I might have, for the same reason others have stated, that it lets him choose for himself. I need a pretty strong reason before choosing to do _anything_ that’s not easily reversed, and “Oh, everyone does it” does not qualify as a strong reason. ---
**Author:** ![Anduril](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c0e974/32.png) [@Anduril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduril)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/23 "2009-05-27T21:59:52Z")
I am circumcised only because this is the culture I was brought up in. From a purely hedonistic standpoint, I have to share this: I did it when I was already active and I can say that the pleasure diminished slightly. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/24 "2009-05-27T22:23:56Z")
My husband is not circumcised, and without going into detail I just wanted to state that I prefer him that way. And hygiene is not all that much more complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/25 "2009-05-27T22:31:47Z")
Sorry, maybe a bit of a prude, but my kids have never seen me fully naked and I never saw my dad naked. I know he’s circumcised, but it’s only based on his word not any visual evidence. I don’t expect them to see me naked except by accident. I had my kids circumcised because of the medical avantages (slight as they may be) and also because, sure it’s coincidence, my two cousins and two nephews that weren’t circumcised ended up having the operation in their teens. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/26 "2009-05-27T22:46:19Z")
I’m circumcised and would have it done again if I was to somehow travel back in time and make my infant opinion known with what I know now. When my son was born, I had read through the pros and cons, weighed them against my own experiences and opted to have it done. It’s nothing I feel _strongly_ about but I felt I made an informed decision. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/27 "2009-05-27T23:45:21Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I believe circumcision offers some protection against certain STDs. [Cite.](http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/03/25/circumcision-herpes-hpv.html) > [@Magiver](#): > > However, a circumcised penis is going to be cleaner regardless of how fastidious one is with hygiene. Foreskin will trap urine and generally keep the area beneath it in a moistened state. I say this from personal experience I was going to chime in with something cheeky like “I use condoms and soap!” but then it struck me to be more courteous in GD (besides which, I don’t have much of a sex life). But really, is it all that hard to stay clean and avoid STDs? In Africa where there seems to be a lot of resistance to the use of contraception of any sort, sure, snip 'em all. But in the West it seems to boil down to “everyone else is.” Just as DrCube said, I never had anyone check me out in school in the showers. Someone was rumoured to have done so once a few years before I started and they very quickly emptied the changing rooms. That’s all I’ve got really, I’ve never really thought of my own as a hindrance. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Gui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@El\_Gui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Gui)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/28 "2009-05-28T00:28:21Z")
I _was_ uncircumsiced, but the opening was rather small and it made retracting the foresking painful at times. I decided to get it done several years ago at the end of my twenties. It just doesn’t feel the same. Certainly less sensitivity now. My suggestion, let your son decide when he is old enough. And warn him that even with local anesthesia, circumcision ain’t fun! (felt like dozens of paper cuts on the wee wee!) Oh, and I got a Partial Circumcision. They don’t remove the entire foreskin, just the tip. Which makes me special. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/29 "2009-05-28T00:28:49Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > I was going to chime in with something cheeky like “I use condoms and soap!” but then it struck me to be more courteous in GD (besides which, I don’t have much of a sex life). But really, is it all that hard to stay clean and avoid STDs? > > In Africa where there seems to be a lot of resistance to the use of contraception of any sort, sure, snip 'em all. But in the West it seems to boil down to “everyone else is.” Just as DrCube said, I never had anyone check me out in school in the showers. Someone was rumoured to have done so once a few years before I started and they very quickly emptied the changing rooms. > > That’s all I’ve got really, I’ve never really thought of my own as a hindrance. I’m just trying to be honest about my own experiences. Waving a bar of soap over the area is not enough to properly clean the area and foreskin creates a natural breeding ground between washes. Consider this a heads-up for all men. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/30 "2009-05-28T00:44:21Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Consider this a heads-up for all men. Heh-heh. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/31 "2009-05-28T00:51:19Z")
> [@grimpixie](#): > > The opinion expressed was that the boys would be upset at not looking like dad rather than the other way around - you don’t say how old your sons are, but I wonder whether they ever said anything along these lines? At least three of my four nephews are _not_ circumcised, although I am reasonably sure their fathers are. This does not seem to have caused any sort of problem with any of the concerned parties. Young boys’ genitals don’t look like adult male genitals _anyway_ - by the time the little boys grow up into young men with a man’s crotch region they’ll be old enough to understand circumcised vs. non-circumcised. If they really express a need to look like dad at that point it can be done, but most young men I know who aren’t cut don’t want to be, regardless of whether or not their male relatives are or not. Besides which - how many fathers spend a lot of time comparing penises with their sons anyway? If you live somewhere that nudity is common then I’m sure any observing offspring will figure out that human penises are variable just as any other human trait. I also spend a lot of time on a message board with a high number of young men. The universal sentiment among the uncircumcised seems to be “glad to be unaltered”. A certain number of those who are circumcised express a wish that they weren’t. Most who are circumcised don’t seem too upset by it. Re: locker rooms - I don’t know how it is where you live, but again, I’ve heard it from young men that both varieties of penises are seen in school locker rooms so no one is shocked by either appearance. Here in the US circumcision rates are falling, so that’s not surprising. I’ve seen some people make a big deal about whether or not _women_ have a preference. Well, I don’t think most women have a strong preference either way. What women want is a _clean_ penis which is easily managed with modern sanitation i.e. soap and water. As both circumcised and uncircumcised penises require cleaning this shouldn’t be a determining factor. If it were MY kid I wouldn’t circumcise him. It’s not necessary, and if he’s not happy with it later in life well, it’s always easier to cut more off than to sew anything back on. ---
**Author:** ![wakingdream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9f8e36/32.png) [@wakingdream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakingdream)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/32 "2009-05-28T01:26:49Z")
I was circumcised and wish I hadn’t been. My mom too regrets having it done to me (haven’t talked to my dad about it). For what it’s worth, I don’t know that I ever got a close look at my dad’s penis growing up (he’s circumcised) and doubt I would have noticed a difference until after I was old enough to understand it anyway. I also never had to be naked with other boys in school, so I don’t think that’s a particularly valid argument (nevermind the fact that baby boys born today are significantly less likely to be circumcised than when I was born so circumcised will certainly not be so much the “norm” for your son’s peers). ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/33 "2009-05-28T03:01:49Z")
I’m uncut, and do prefer it that way. If I have my way, our son (hypothetical) won’t be cut. As to uncut “trapping” urine, uhm, you’re supposed to pull back the foreskin before you pee you know? (anyway this is more fun as then can shoot targets further away) Cleanliness? Well I clean in the shower twice a day, if I needed to be cleaner that, well a wet piece of tissue would more than suffice. Looking like dad? Well my father was cut, neither my brother nor I ever cared. Same as others in the locker room? Well I didn’t grow up in the US, but our locker room was about 50 / 50, and anyway - if people seriously started making comments on someone else’s penis, THEY would have been the ones teased for looking From what I hear - masturbation is easier if you are uncut - the foreskin provides natural lubricant, and slides back and forth - this I can speak to from experience ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/34 "2009-05-28T03:15:37Z")
Complications of circumcision, while rare can happen and be severe. Doctors said that my husband’s chronic UTIs, which caused his infertility, may possibly be traced to his circumcision which became infected repeatedly. They could be right. Other boys have died or lost their penis due to complications. My brother was not circumcised and elected to have a circumcision when he was 12. While healing was no joy, it did not seem unduly traumatic. He was not bothered by not looking like dad, but rather wanted to look like other guys his age. This is a decision you can put off, but once it is made, it cannot be undone. I did not have my son circumcised. If he wants to have it done later, I will support that decision. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/35 "2009-05-28T03:15:53Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > From what I hear - masturbation is easier if you are uncut - the foreskin provides natural lubricant, and slides back and forth - this I can speak to from experience Spit works just fine as well. I’m not planning to have any kids, but I have seen the arguments on both sides and am more compelled by the medical benefits of being circumcised. I would most likely circumcise any male children I had. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/36 "2009-05-28T03:42:02Z")
no hard info here, I’m circumcised. I have heard that circumcision provides some resistance to HIV. That said - if I do ever have a son I’ll probably skip the chop. I just don’t like body modifications in general. Not tattoos. Not piercings. And certainly not cutting off a piece of the wang. …though I’m certainly happy enough with “li’l GameHat” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/37 "2009-05-28T07:54:36Z")
Congrats, **Grim**. IMO, don’t do it. The adult son can decide for himself. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/38 "2009-05-28T08:29:30Z")
Sorry if I missed this…just skimmed the thread. So your son will be growing up in Africa, right? In my opinion, that right there, with the whole AIDS situation in that part of the world, would give me enough reason to just go ahead and and do it. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/science/23hiv.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/science/23hiv.html) > [@](#): > > …suggest that circumcision reduces a man’s risk by as much as 65 percent. I know South Africa isn’t as bad as the rest of the continent when it comes to AIDS (or at least that’s my impression, could be wrong) but still…that’s a significant number. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/39 "2009-05-28T13:27:18Z")
My understanding is that some of the medical benefits from circumcision apply only to neonatal circumcision and don’t carry over to circumcisions done as an adult. The cancer prevention benefit for sure and perhaps others. > [@](#): > > The risk of penile cancer can be virtually eliminated by neonatal circumcision. Delayed circumcision offers only slight protection against the subsequent development of penile carcinoma. - [Oregon Health & Science University](http://www.ohsu.edu/health/page.cfm?id=13603) Just a thought for those stating that the kid can always decide later, especially if the parent is considering it for medical benefits. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830/40 "2009-05-28T13:36:28Z")
Put the situation on yourself. If you had the decision to make right now that you would be circumcised back when you were a infant or not, what would you chose? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision-advice-sought/497830.md?page=3)