Circ'ing a 7 yo?

[Kerrie]

My neighbor's DS who is intact is worried that he will need to be circ'd. His father and 1/2 brother both had to have it done around 10 years old for not retracting. Should he be able to retract at almost 7? I didn't know where else to ask. TIA!

[Christian_mom]

Originally Posted by Kerrie

Should he be able to retract at almost 7?

I'm not an expert here but my cousin wasn't retractable until about 10. I really don't think a circ would be necessary on a non-retracting 7 (or 10) year old.

[Fellow Traveler]

Originally Posted by Kerrie

My neighbor's DS who is intact is worried that he will need to be circ'd. His father and 1/2 brother both had to have it done around 10 years old for not retracting. Should he be able to retract at almost 7? I didn't know where else to ask. TIA!

It depends on the boy. The average age is 11/12. At 7 there is no need for concern. This link should give you some idea:

http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/

[latinalonestar]

Some boys do not retract until puberty, THIS IS NORMAL. Only 50% of boys are retractable by age 10. Age of retraction is very different for each boy. Please print these and give them to your neighbor.

BTW, In the case that a boy is still not retractable after puberty a steroidal cream can be used to make the skin stretch. Amputation is NOT necessary.

Avoiding Circumcision after the Neonatal Period
http://www.nocirc.org/publish/pamphlet7.html

Development of a Retractable Foreskin:
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcisi...kinleaflet.pdf

Protect your Intact Son, Expert Medical Advice:
http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...uncircson.html

[tennisdude23]

I did not begin retracting until I was 11. Some people don't retract until their late teens. Its all perfectly normal. If retraction is a problem, steroid creams can be prescribed. Circumcision is absolutely unnecessary.

[perspective]

Originally Posted by Kerrie

My neighbor's DS who is intact is worried that he will need to be circ'd. His father and 1/2 brother both had to have it done around 10 years old for not retracting. Should he be able to retract at almost 7? I didn't know where else to ask. TIA!

Yeah, I knew guys in high school who had not retracted yet. If a foreskin cant retract, that means its sealed, and protected from dirt and germs from getting inside. So there is nothing to worry about.

[robertandenith]

print this out for him!!
http://www.asnatureintended.info/upl...74/babyboy.pdf

[mzleslie]

Great information!

Hi, I'm the neighbor (thank you Kerry for posting this and pointing me in the right direction). There is some great info here.

I'm a firm believer in keeping my son intact, and plan on keeping him that way. My fear is that my son's father and half brother had problems. Now, I don't know all the details... but for his father, I'm sure it was the thinking of that time period (34 yrs ago) that that was the only option. As for my DS's half brother, he was in a great deal of pain and could couldn't control the direction when he would urinate (also, he was living in Singapore at the time). This is where my fears some in, family history, but I will do all I can to make sure my DS does not have to encounter pain, nor have to get circ'd.

Thank you all for sending along this info. I am not familiar enough with what to expect, nor are most doctors as I gather from some of my readings. My doctor isn't saying that he needs to get circ'd yet, but she is concerned only because of family history and made reference to it. She is the only one at that practice who will actually listen to and respect my opinions, but I need to make sure I have good ones so I don't get led astray by people/doctors who want to stay with what they consider normal.

But now I'm armed with info and know I can find what I need here on Mothering. Thanks to all for taking the time to post!

Leslie

[Harley Winston]

Some quotes from world recognized medical associations. I have found these to be more compelling than printing off a bunch of one-sided 'rhetoric' from a bunch of 'biased' pro-intact websites.


American Academy of Pediatrics:

http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_Uncircumcised.htm

"In the first several years your son's foreskin will separate from the tip of the penis. Some foreskins separate soon after birth or even before birth, but this is rare. When it happens is different for every child. It may take a few weeks, months, or years. Once this happens, the foreskin can be pulled back away from the tip of the penis. This is called foreskin retraction.

Most boys will be able to retract their foreskins by the time they are 5 years old, yet others will not be able to until the teen years. "





Canadian Paediatric Society:

http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/preg...rcumcision.htm

"An uncircumcised penis is easy to keep clean and requires no special care:

*Keep your baby’s penis clean by gently washing the area during his bath. Do not try to pull back the foreskin. Usually, it is not fully retractable until a boy is 3 to 5 years old, or even until after puberty. Never force it."






Royal Australasian College of Physicians:

http://www.racp.edu.au/download.cfm?...36DF59A1BAF527

"It is normal for the inner surface of the foreskin to be fused to the glans in newborn males. Separation of the foreskin from the glans occurs spontaneously during childhood. By five years of age most of boys are able to retract their foreskin9. A small percentage of boys are unable to fully retract their foreskin until puberty.
The foreskin requires no special care during infancy. It should be left alone10. Attempts to forcibly retract it are painful, often injure the foreskin, and can lead to scarring and phimosis.
Later in childhood, the foreskin can be gently retracted to the point where resistance is met and the distal portion of the penis and the urethral meatus become visible. The glans and the inner-surface of the foreskin can be cleaned along with the rest of the body once separation has occurred and the foreskin is fully retractable11.
By around the time of puberty, all uncircumcised boys should be able to retract their foreskin and clean underneath it in the bath or shower. It is important that they always return the foreskin to its original position after they have finished."




It may be hard for your neighbor to accept that they have been given bad advice, and that some members of the family may have suffered unnecessarily. Have compassion, but do let them know that knowledge is power, and that they now know that there is nothing wrong.

[latinalonestar]

Originally Posted by mzleslie

Hi, I'm the neighbor (thank you Kerry for posting this and pointing me in the right direction). There is some great info here.

I'm a firm believer in keeping my son intact, and plan on keeping him that way. My fear is that my son's father and half brother had problems. Now, I don't know all the details... but for his father, I'm sure it was the thinking of that time period (34 yrs ago) that that was the only option. As for my DS's half brother, he was in a great deal of pain and could couldn't control the direction when he would urinate (also, he was living in Singapore at the time). This is where my fears some in, family history, but I will do all I can to make sure my DS does not have to encounter pain, nor have to get circ'd.

Thank you all for sending along this info. I am not familiar enough with what to expect, nor are most doctors as I gather from some of my readings. My doctor isn't saying that he needs to get circ'd yet, but she is concerned only because of family history and made reference to it. She is the only one at that practice who will actually listen to and respect my opinions, but I need to make sure I have good ones so I don't get led astray by people/doctors who want to stay with what they consider normal.

But now I'm armed with info and know I can find what I need here on Mothering. Thanks to all for taking the time to post!

Leslie

Well I can almost guarantee your family members did not have any true problems that warranted circ, they just had uneducated doctors that told them they needed a circ. The only medical reasons for circ is frostbite, gangrene, malignancy, and serious truama. If they were circed for any other reason they had a doctor that didn't understand the foreskin. Every other potential foreskin issue can be treated without amputation. It used to be thought that phimosis needed to be treated with circ, now we know that this is not true. Steroidal creams can treat this disorder in adulthood. Children can not have phimosis.

www.nocirc.org/publish/pamphlet7.html

[veganf]

They do not NEED to retract! I've had personal relations with a non-retractile partner (at age 16 back in the day) and it did not in any way impede function . I just don't get why docs think there's some magical age that the foreskin needs to retract or they'll self-destruct : .

[kriket]

Originally Posted by veganf

foreskin needs to retract or they'll self-destruct : .

exploding foreskins!?