Do American doctors prefer that patient's penises are circumcised?

I wonder if anyone has insight into the preferences of American doctors for circumcised penises.

A lot of doctors at birth automatically do circumcisions. I don't think its as much a preference thing as much as a cultural thing.

In the US it is not "automatic." It is a decision made by the parents.

I am most certainly not a doctor, but I personally prefer uncircumcised!

There is this contention that an uncircumcised penis is more prone to cancer. This is a controversial issue amongst oncologists. I'm sure statistics exist should anyone be interested in delving into the matter. I remember seeing (perhaps only as a literature citation "The Rape of the Phalus" For several decades circumcised was the going thing - today there seems to be a re-birth going the other direction.

DrLaennec ClinicalUSMLE (Yahoo chat)

I have read that over time the circumcised penis loses some sensitivity on the glans as it spends it's life being rubbed against the underwear.

Yes,

I agree: because modify the body without a real reason?

The nature has done us so and so should be the best, this for the men and for the women and also for the animals ( for example terrible cut done them to their ears and tails ).

Different story if a valid reason advise differently, but all the men have penis fimosi ?

I don't think so and I find a big mistake to do it to a baby; when he will be adult, he will can always choice.

This is my personal opinion.

M2000

I'm not a physician, but can say that while they may have their own personal preferences, they do not advocate either way.

My wife & I recently had our first baby which turned out to be a little girl. We weren't finding out what (sex) we were having, so we had to consider circumcision ahead of time. We were given materials to read and did our own research in books, etc. reading up on the pros & cons. My wife was strongly advocating FOR circumcision if we had a boy. She has experienced 'un-cut' men and it has grossed her out each time. I was still on the fence. I myself am circumcised, but I was considering not doing it to our baby.

Bottom line is: every medical professional that we discussed this topic with said it was 100% our choice as parents. There are obvious hygenic advatanges to a circumcised penis, but it's not a major issue.

Good question. I am not born in usa but i moved here very young but went a very long amount of years, without seeing a doctor. I only ever remember all of my exams in usa. I do however have a strong hypothesis with experience that yes american doctors prefer that their paitient is circumcised. However i will admit that i am probably the least nonbiased person to comment as i do not make a strong case for the health of an uncircumcised male and admit it given my careless hygiene and unique physical penile structure also added to that i am uncircumcised

From my personal experience at the doctor, my being not circumcised was somewhat of a novelty. Even in the region where I live (California) and the age + background of my doctors (younger and Asian, though this is not something I had much choice in). I have a mild skin allergy to latex gloves that gradually arose from my day job, which carried over to certain prophylactic products.

When this caused a rather unfortunate rash, I went to see my doctor at the time, who seemed a bit uncertain dealing with my parts. I had a couple other questions about my genitals at the time amongst the usual health concerns about a bad knee, etc. and they weren't really answered to my satisfaction, so I switched doctors.

That said, I am of an age-group cohort where I believe over 75% were circumcised. I was spared the knife due to being born very prematurely. My mom would otherwise have had me cut due to circumcision being the prevailing wisdom of the time.

As of February 2015, the CDC in the United States has recommended that health care providers consul males of ALL ages regarding the benefits of male circumcision. During a recent exam a young doctor commented that my "foreskin should not be that tight" and gave me a diagnosis of "Phimosis" with recommendation of "circumcision". I question if the doctor is bias toward circumcision or implementing the CDC's policy. Possibly the doctor has a phobia towards foreskins as my community is very pro-circ.

Possibly the doctor has a phobia towards foreskins

You'd be forgiven for thinking that once circumcised, they want every last male on Earth to be the same ... 😃

As of February 2015, the CDC in the United States has recommended that health care providers consul males of ALL ages regarding the benefits of male circumcision.

Do you think it is a bad thing if a doctor discusses with her patient the option that is available to him in circumcision as an option for him that is out there?

Of. Course

The drs see a foreskin then see $$$$!$!!

Do you think it is a bad thing if a doctor discusses with her patient the option that is available to him in circumcision as an option for him that is out there?

If it is such an advantageous thing for the patient, then why do European doctors (and I would suppose non-Muslim Asian doctors) never discuss circumcision, unless it is for a demonstrably existing condition that needs treatment? Are doctors elsewhere incompetent and not properly trained perhaps? Unless a patient asks on his own or comes to the doctor with a specific complaint, foreskins are none of a doctors business. They are mainly cultural (and more dangerously, also religious) manifestations of how people treat their bodies and doctors should not concern themselves with these issues.

So yes, a reasonable conclusion would be that, for American doctors, foreskins are most probably an opportunity to make an easy buck. Though I doubt the link between the two is so obvious to the doctors themselves. There is also the urge to remake people into cultural replicas of the Ideal.

I'd also point out how the discussion seems to be shifting from promoting circumcision at birth - which is becoming less prevalent - into adult circumcision. Perhaps one should consider this shift a sort of Last Ditch defense. Cultural paradigms and customs are ever changing. Embrace the change.

CDC considering counseling males of ALL ages on circumcision:

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/12/03/368008742/cdc-considers-counseling-males-of-all-ages-on-circumcision

Being from Spain, I have noticed that doctors insist a lot on circumcision. Generally everything gives you the same speech.

In each of my wife's pregnancies, the doctors who treated her when they found out that they would be boys, not only talked about the name, the diet, they always ended in one way or another suggesting the operation at birth.

We even changed pediatricians several times.

Once, in his annual routine check-up, an unprofessional doctor in my opinion, when checking for hernias and more in the groin area. He asked my 6 year old son if he knew how to retract his foreskin, to which my son said yes, Luckily I was already teaching them how to do it, to which the doctor told him, don't you think you look better that way. With the glans exposed and my son couldn't answer and the doctor proceeded to tell him just like your friends. He had patients for several of my son's classmates. It was when I asked him not to give him ideas because he is perfect like that.

I have had many experiences like that with my children.

@Koa_Jut That’s not surprising. It’s very engrained in the American medical system.

Once, in his annual routine check-up, an unprofessional doctor in my opinion, when checking for hernias and more in the groin area. He asked my 6 year old son if he knew how to retract his foreskin, to which my son said yes, Luckily I was already teaching them how to do it, to which the doctor told him, don't you think you look better that way. With the glans exposed and my son couldn't answer and the doctor proceeded to tell him just like your friends.

I am always surprised and perplexed when people/doctors use that excuse about looking like your friends.

On the one hand it would seem that older people think it the most normal thing to have kids comparing penises. yet on the other hand, when children are caught doing this, there is usually hell to pay since it is considered unseemly and in the more religious families probably sinful. Parents don't really like for their children to explore those kind of things, yet they seem fine when a doctor or other family members or they themselves use it as an excuse for circumcising.

Seems to be a somewhat schizophrenic attitude. By suggesting this to a youngster, a doctor might be encouraging behavior a child wouldn't think of by himself.

All a bunch of weird reasons to justify circumcision.

That was the one that bothered me the most. they usually make that comparison or the classic "Wouldn't you like to look like your dad?"

That's why I left that doctor

It has never happened to me with doctors from Spain or Mexico, only in the US do they have those opinions. I tell my wife that all they need is for them to say that you were less of an American if you are not circumcised.

Very true, here in the US they go to the extreme, the fear of predators is so much... that it has caused children to feel ashamed of their bodies and that they do not even explore themselves as they should.They see bad things, including children walking around in their underwear.

Here where I live, one of my neighbors has a son the same age as mine, to avoid problems I talked to them about what my children are used to. Since my children usually walk around naked on sumer or in brief type swimsuits, I did not prohibit them, I only ask that if another adult is visiting, they wear shorts. The good thing that they accept to the point that his son is now like mine

My experience living in the US has always been that American doctors preferred their patients to be circumcised for preventive and hygienic reasons and also because they viewed circumcision as the most standard procedure performed in infancy. It is common for an American pediatrician to inform prospective parents of the timing of the procedure, and - if there is any doubt - to ensure that they understand the importance of getting their son circumcised.

In the US, it is the standard practice for a physician to note the circumcision status in the patient's chart. It is one of the reasons for the doctor to perform a genital examination when seeing the patient for the first time. If the patient has not yet been circumcised, the doctor will discuss with him and/or his parents the benefits of having the operation.

In the US, one of the common diagnoses that often requires circumcision is the redundant prepuce. The medical definition of the redundant foreskin is when the foreskin completely covers the glans. For many American doctors, having a foreskin is a diagnosis that requires surgical intervention.

Possibly the doctor has a phobia towards foreskins as my community is very pro-circ.

Could it possibly be that you have a bias against circumcision or a fear of getting circumcised?

Remember that there are different stages of phimosis. It could very well be that your doctor was able to diagnose the mildest case often characterized by some tightness of the foreskin once it gets retracted behind the glans. Circumcision is the quickest way to treat phimosis. Unlike steroid creams, stretching exercises, and voodoo, it is 100% effective. If your doctor recommends getting it done, it is a good idea to listen.

Could it possibly be that you have a bias against circumcision or a fear of getting circumcised?

Many people do indeed have a bias against circumcision, especially in Europe. Historically it identifies one as either Jew or Muslim, religious/social minorities that have not had a peaceful record of relations. Even though it is a mostly inaccurate method of identifying a man's religious/culture and affiliation, the bias remains nonetheless.

And of course there is always a bias against performing unnecessary medical procedures. Is there a bias against pulling teeth that are not damaged or diseased? Or removing an appendix out of precaution? You betcha there is.

And going by world statistics, aside from the irrational imperatives of religion, very few people get circumcised outside of medical necessity. It is an unnecessary procedure from a medical point of view and usually correlates to some sort of social custom, peer pressure or imperative. Which is actually not different from saying it is a religious imposed custom and therefore irrational and made-up.

I would not dismiss outright the idea that doctors can have irrational biases. In the case of so aggressively and seemingly routinely promoting circumcision at the drop of a hat, I would think they do. Clearly in some countries, circumcision has moved into the realm of social custom rather than medical necessity.

@madebare At each médical exam the doctor asked at my parent why i was not circumcised.

Each time the doctor talked about the circumcision with my parents.

So i got circumcision at 11.

At each médical exam the doctor asked at my parent why i was not circumcised.

Each time the doctor talked about the circumcision with my parents.

So i got circumcision at 11.

Were you experiencing any kind of problems that would have truly required a circumcision to fix? Or was it just the doctor pressuring you to fit a socially accepted and expected norm?

@madebare At each médical exam the doctor asked at my parent why i was not circumcised. Each time the doctor talked about the circumcision with my parents. So i got circumcision at 11.

@Mikael22 Where were you born and where were you living when you were circumcised? In the US, it is very common for doctors to advocate for the procedure because of its prophylactic and hygienic benefits, not only when there is a medical issue.

Many (most?) US Doctors may advocate circumcision - but as far as treating or seeing anyone I doubt they really care if the patient is circumcised or not.

I was born in Wisconsin State in 1982 but i got my circumcision in Texas State in 1993.

I was leaving USA in 2003.

So in Texas the doctor was a great avocate of circumcision.

I can't talk about all doctor in United State but mine he convinced my parents.

I was born in Wisconsin State in 1982 but i got my circumcision in Texas State in 1993.

So in Texas the doctor was a great avocate of circumcision.

I can't talk about all doctor in United State but mine he convinced my parents.

I can't help but thinking that it is most certainly not a doctor's place to try and impose social conventions on patients. If there is a medical problem that requires circumcision, that is different. But trying to convince/convert parents into performing one because of adhering to a social norm (or for the income?) I cannot help but find that unethical behavior.