Choosing to have your son cut or not

Did you have to choose whether or not to have your own sons circumcised, whether at birth or later?

Were they suggestions in favor or against (e.g. physicians or family)?

If you considered having your son circumcised for medical reasons, did you first try other measures?

Our son was circumcised. he is 13 now and I think it was a good decision . he is a normal curious boy and starting to be ..sexual i guess

Marisa: At birth or later?

We haven't had our son cut and it was never mentioned to us at any point of my mat care.

He is the only one of my children not born in the states.

I personally think its a bit barbaric to circumsise a boy unless it is absolutely necessary for medical reasons. Our boy had a tight foreskin but with exercise and persuasion we managed to prevent him from having to go under the knife. Its far less common in the UK to be cut !

AlanC: What were the medical options and how were they presented to you?

Back in the mid-80's when my son was born, we had him circumcised at birth. Our reasoning was to prevent him feeling "different" once he was in school so at not to be made fun of by others (kids can be some of the cruelest "friends" we have...).

If I had to make that decision today, I'd likely not have it done as society in the US has become more tolerant of being un-cut in my view.

The medical community didn't really voice their opinion during his gestation; it was more like they assumed we just have the procedure done.

We had no religious obligation to have him cut either.

AlanC: What were the medical options and how were they presented to you?

Basically we were told that if his foreskin could not be retracted easilly to wash underneath then it would have to be removed surgically.

I never had children but I would have opted to have my son circumcised. I am circumcised and I am glad I was at birth. So I would have wanted the same for my son- if I had one.

I know some will say this a such a personal decision it should be made by the boy/man later in life. Well yes, but again speaking personally, I never felt wronged because the choice was made for me. I never have had any regrets about being circumcised or wanted my foreskin back.

Two sons, both not circumcised, like me. No regrets, for them or me.

Eric

My wife left the decision up to me and I chose to not have my son's genitalia mutilated for the sake of tradition or a commandment from a god I do not believe in.

If I have a son, I will chose not have him circumcised

In China it is not common to perform early infant male circumcision (EIMC). I did not have my son circumcised. The matter was never brought up by the hospital staff and I would have said 'no' if asked.

My grandson was born in Nanjing hospital in 2010. Circumcision was available on request at $50. My daughter-in-law told the doctor she did not want it done.

Meiwei: So it seems the surgery is available? Do you know why some parents do it?

Don't have children but if and when I do, getting them cut will be only if its medically necesary. I will not subject my poor child to unneceary pain and suffering.

Meiwei: So it seems the surgery is available? Do you know why some parents do it?

Most hospitals here publish a monthly 'flyer' that is sent to all homes in their area. For some years circumcision has been promoted this way, mainly aimed at adults. It is usually the wife, girlfriend or mother that reads the article! Expectant mothers read the flyer and by the time they enter the maternity hospital it is quite easy to convince them to have their son circumcised. The 'carrot' often used is prevention of HIV which is of great concern to us.

My daughter-in-law was asked to take part in a survey while she was recovering from the birth of my grandson. The results were published and are available at https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-12-738

Everything that ProV1 said.

There is no way I would rely on that to prevent HIV. If that was a concern I'd be more likely to leave the foreskin on so that there wouldn't be an excuse to not use condoms.

There is no way I would rely on that to prevent HIV. If that was a concern I'd be more likely to leave the foreskin on so that there wouldn't be an excuse to not use condoms.

Deep down I think the 'circumcision prevents HIV' argument is not really a valid argument when it comes to HIV prevention. It sounds very much like false advertising for circumcision. Sort of like the 19th/early 20th century argument that circumcision was supposed to prevent masturbation.

And we all know how true and valid that is! ... ha ha ha.

Deep down I think the 'circumcision prevents HIV' argument is not really a valid argument when it comes to HIV prevention. It sounds very much like false advertising for circumcision. Sort of like the 19th/early 20th century argument that circumcision was supposed to prevent masturbation. .

I agree with you @agracier! This kind of advertising uses fear to attract customers. This is why I and many other medical personnel are concerned.

The WHO/UNAIDS recommendations emphasize that male circumcision should only be considered for HIV prevention in countries and regions with, high HIV. However, they do say that male circumcision provides only partial protection, and therefore should be only one element of a comprehensive HIV prevention package which includes: the provision of HIV testing and counseling services; treatment for sexually transmitted infections; the promotion of safer sex practices; the provision of male and female condoms and promotion of their correct and consistent use.

the promotion of safer sex practices; the provision of male and female condoms and promotion of their correct and consistent use.

Education, education and more education is usually the best way to accomplish a goal. If there is no proper education on sexual matters or HIV, then a practice like circumcision will not be much more than a gimmick used to trick the gullible into believing they are safe and protected with no effort required to amend their ways.

Cut or not, dont think that will cut down on the chances of catching an STD like HIV, Best way is protection protection protection.

I chose to have my son cut at birth, as i had been. That way, it's over with & no pain & complications later on. Plus I think being cut tends to make you more appealing to prospective partners.

Plus I think being cut tends to make you more appealing to prospective partners.

That is only valid when the prospective partners are

a/ from the same religion (and even then there can be religious confusion if you judge by circumcision alone)

b/from a social group that practices circumcision. Otherwise it looks odd and unusual, as if you are constantly showing off your sexual readiness to everyone who sees you naked ...

We decided to have our son circumcised at birth. I think the overwhelming reason (proposed mainly by my wife) was that she thought it would be better if our son looked like his dad (me). I really didn't have an argument against that at the time, so I thought it was the right decision.

Don't have any kids of my own. If I ever did decide on circumcision I would always do it in infancy. After needing an adult circ myself and going through what I did, and hearing multiple doctors tell me how it's so much more complicated in an adult that it's basically a different surgery, the infant option seems like an easy choice for me.

I'm not saying I automatically would, there are many other factors I'd need to consider together with my wife, but if it was an option for us, I would choose for it to be done as soon as possible.

I don't have a son, but if I had him I wouldn't be circumcised for no reason. If the reason was phimosis I would try less drastic treatments. On the other hand, if they did not work, I would decide on the procedure before puberty or at its beginning (9-11 years).

I had my son circumcised at birth.

My sons are circumcised. My ex father-in-law is a huge anti-circumcision activist. Oh well, too bad for him. Telling me what I have to do is about the best way to get me to do the opposite.

We've been trying to conceive for a couple of years now, and have decided up front that if we have a boy, he wouldn't get automatically circumcised. My partner was done at 4 or 5, and even so he still doesn't want it done automatically just in case.