Foreskin examination / checking for phimosis

Those of us males who were not circumcised at a very young age often had to endure checks whether our foreskin could be retracted. If it could not, thus a diagnosis of phimosis, the course of action could be forced stretching, or surgery (in most cases, removing the offending foreskin, that is, circumcision).

Can you tell us about your experience with such checks? How old were you, who conducted them? How did you feel? What was said?

My foreskin was forcibly retracted at a children’s hospital a week or two prior to catheterisation for an X-ray and VCUG procedure aged 4.

I entered a room in urology where my mum was already in with a doctor and nurse, the doctor said to take a seat alongside mum.

Her nurse pulled a chair in front of me and asked me to help her by holding open my underwear. I never knew what was going to happen, nor did my mum. It hurt and I cried a little as the nurse retracted and loosened my foreskin. My mum kept talking across me with the doctor as if nothing was happening, I think she was blanking.

My foreskin was retracted many times as a child by my GP looking for infections, it was never tight, I became used to this.

Mum said my brother had his foreskin first retracted by the same GP on a routine house call. He was already crying when the doctor arrived and he took that as an opportunity, retracting it in the bath.

In these days (1960s) it was normal in Scotland for doctors to retract foreskins at a young age.

It first happened to me at the age of 7 during a school medical. I was stripped to my underpants, and the doctor examined me. At the end, my underpants were lowered to my knees; I can't remember whether she did it or I did. She took my penis and pushed back my foreskin. It did hurt a little, and not much really happened in terms of it retracting, although I had no idea what was happening or what was meant to happen. She simply said I needed circumcising. My mother took me to our GP for a second opinion, and he examined me and said I did not need circumcising.

I had a second school medical with the same school doctor the following year, and she retracted my foreskin again in the same way as before, and still thought I needed circumcising. My mother sought the second opinion of our GP again, and this time he suggested that stretching and some cream might help. I had this on and off for a few years.

The school doctor examined me for a 3rd time and still thought circumcision was required. There was no second opinion sought this time, and it was the last time that particular doctor examined me. By my next examination, I was starting puberty and had been undergoing stretching exercises. From then onwards, although my foreskin was retracted at each examination, no problems were found.

In the 60s into the 70s here in USA there was a very intense blitz to circumcise boys. I recall my parents saying in 1960 that the hospital staff strongly encouraged circumcision, but my pediatrician that I was referred to was an older man that did not feel it was medically necessary and my parents listened to him. However once my step mother began taking me to appointments she took me to a younger woman doctor that from the first visit recommended circumcision for "hygiene purposes". So the exam and discussion came up every year, but my parents felt I should make that decision when I was older so at 12 I went to a pediatric surgeon because I didn't fully understand what it was but I knew I looked different, but once she showed where she would cut I became very upset and was no longer wanting to do it. So it wasn't done at that time.

I’ve had countless exams like this where they pulled back the foreskin. Twice, they even retracted it by force because it was stucked, and we did foreskin exercises for a long time because of a light phimosis. The pediatrician and the school doctor always examined me, but I also saw urologists and endocrinologists, and even my parents pulled it back regularly at home.

@Matthew2000 Ermmm... Fucking OW!!!

I remember my doctor always retracting my foreskin when he examined me for phimosis and general clenliness, and I remember Mom retracting it in the bath and teaching me how to clean it.

I've posted my story about phimosis earlier in here, but I don't mind typing it out again...

When I was around 7 years old, I had a consult with the school doctor. Just a regular check-up like you get around that age.

Of course, this also meant a genital examination, during which, my foreskin would not budge at all, despite the doc's firm, but still gentle attempts.

In stead of being scheduled for a circumcision straight away, something that is, or was common in the US, I believe, he instructed my mom, who was also there, to have me practice with retracting in a warm bath for a while, and make a follow-up appointment to check on proceedings.

Thankfully, my attempts to retract while in a warm bath paid off, and I got to keep my precious foreskin 😃

Even now, roughly 40 years later. my foreskin is still tight. It won't slide over the glans by itself when erect. But that's how I love it.

When I just retract it partially, and keep it halfway over my glans, the skin is wonderfully tight and sensitive. Doing circles over it with a finger is a very nice sensation.

I absolutely love my foreskin being played with 😃