foreskin closed in 6 year old

[pixie2225]

My son is almost seven years old and has never had a retractible foreskin which up until now I wasn't concerned about. He complained about his penis hurting the other day and upon examination I noticed that his foreskin is completely closed. There is an opening about the size of a pen top where urine is able to pass. I am panicked about how completely closed his foreskin is. Is this the time I should consult his doctor? I do not want him circumcised and am wondering what are the options for him. Any thoughts?

[alegna]

As long as he can pee, it is not an emergency. Personally I would let it be as long as he can pee and is not in any discomfort. Did it just hurt that one day? or is it hurting him now?

-Angela

[Night_Nurse]

Like Alegna said, as long as he can urinate, no need to worry. At this stage in life, urination is all he needs to do with his penis. Some boys aren't retractable well until their teens, so no need to stress over it. Did he used to be retractable? Maybe as his penis has grown the foreskin opening hasn't grown at the same rate and it hasn't caught up yet. I'm sure as the rest of his body grows, and as his skin stretches with erections, that it will become a non-issue.
Sometimes boys complain of mild pain when the foreskin starts to separate from the head of the penis. Maybe that's what is going on, especially if he was never retractable before. Separation pain is usually minor and brief. Maybe let your son know if it becomes painful when he urinates to let you know (some boys can pee in a cup of water to minimize the separation pain when they void).
You could always consult your doctor if it doesn't get better but U.S. doctors aren't generally foreskin savvy. They tend to try to retract (which could cause more harm) or recommend circumcision right off the bat. So if you call a doctor, be careful!

[momval]

My son is seven and also has a very small opening in the foreskin. I only found that out because I overreacted to some burning he had while urinating one day, and took him to the dr. I was all worried that he might have a UTI. The doctor tried to force his foreskin back as far as he could, hurting my son in the process (there was even a little bleeding as a result of the manipulation). My son was absolutely fine -no UTI or other infection, but the doctor freaked out, telling me my son has "phimosis" and "adhesions" and they would need to be treated. I had my son pee with his penis immersed in a cup of water for a couple days, and the irritation completely went away. He hasn't had any problems since. As long as your son is urinating normally, I would not be worried. From my research, I understand that the size of the opening does not have to be any particular width by a certain age. It is completely normal to have a small opening in childhood. Everyone develops on their own timetable. Hormones at puberty will most likely widen and elasticize the opening. Doctors are often very ignorant of this fact, and may try to retract and/or think there is a problem where none actually exists. Pain and burning can be symptoms of normal separation, and are transitory. Unless the pain is extreme, lasts a long time, or other symptoms are present, I seriously doubt your son has a problem that needs medical attention. I now worry that some damage was done by our doctor's retraction attempt, and know it never would have happened had I not rushed him in for a simple skin irritation.

[eepster]

The end of the foreskin has a sphincter. It relaxes to let pee out, and closes up tight to protect the glans after peeing. Slight irritation is most likely the separation process starting.

[TCA2008]

Has your son had a lot of exposure to chlorine recently (swimming, etc..)? Or bubble baths? The foreskin might be reacting to recent exposures to chemicals, etc...if it is tighter and more constricted than it used to be. If this is the case, warm water only bath soaks, and applying a barrier cream to the foreskin before swimming will help protect it.

If you continue to have concerns, call Marilyn Milos, director of NOCIRC and a true foreskin expert, to review things with her before considering a doctor consult - her number is 415-488-9883.

[glongley]

Please do not worry about your son's small foreskin opening. It will open in time. "What looks like a pin point opening in a 7 month old will become a wide channel of communication by age 17." (From the NOCIRC #4 Care pamphlet).

Two things have to happen for the foreskin to become retractable. One is the separation from the glans and the other is the loosening of the the tight, inelastic outlet. Both take care of themselves with time without any outside help,or freaking out on the part of doctors or parents!

For example, my older son had a foreskin opening about literally the size of a pin head till he was about 8 years old. The only problems this ever caused him was peeing in funny directions sometimes. Then all of a sudden it started becoming looser and looser, and almost over night, the whole thing became fully retractable. It was really quite amazing!

The other suggestions above, like possible mild separation irritation, possible discomfort with erections, possible chemical irritation, possible mild yeast infection should also be considered as contributing factors to his symptoms. But as far as the smallness of the hole - rest easy. As long as he can pee in a reasonable stream (spraying or deflection is OK), he should be fine.

Also, if you feel up to it, that doctor needs some feedback about their misinformation and mishandling of your son. The bleeding tells you that they did some damage to the tissue, which was unnecessary and potentially harmful. I'm sure in the long run things will sort themselves out with his penis and he will be fine. But this doctor needs to be educated about this so he/she won't hurt any more intact boys.

Gillian

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

A link you should find helpful http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=764732

[Ron_Low]

I don't have the specific words to help you, but it's important that the boy know any painless manipulation he cares to do is fine (especially when he's in private of course).

If he's been given a different message you must undo that. Ask caregivers like Grandma if they might have said something.

[tutucrazy]

Sometimes there is swelling during the normal development/separation process. If he leaves it alone this should subside and the discomfort will go away.

If you see any peeling or bumps he could have yeast which also causes swelling. This can happen after a round of antibiotics or if he has been swimming a lot in highly chlorinated water. Keep your eye out for possible yeast.

Don't worry about the opening. As long as he can pee it is fine. Also don't worry if you see ballooning. This is not harmful and is a normal phase in the development of the intact boy.