steroid cream Rx'd for unretractable foreskin in 3 yr old - Page 2

[Fyrestorm]

Originally Posted by Incubator

I know you just posted today, but I'm subbing in hopes that you'll update us on the response of the Dr.
Luckily I've never had to take my DS to a Dr. but I'd like to be prepared if I ever do, and what I should do if the doc is not skin-friendly, or is skin-uninformed.

Don't take off the diaper till you've had the talk and do not allow the doctor to put a hand near his penis....tell him you will move it anywhere he/she would like, but don't let them touch it. They can be fast little devils and some of them just have a strange irresistible need to manipulate foreskins

[Incubator]

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm

Don't take off the diaper till you've had the talk and do not allow the doctor to put a hand near his penis....tell him you will move it anywhere he/she would like, but don't let them touch it. They can be fast little devils and some of them just have a strange irresistible need to manipulate foreskins

Well, obviously. DS is three, if he were ever taken to a Dr., he wouldn't even be getting undressed. Mostly I'm more worried about how to speak up about mis-information, and Dr. responses to it. I feel better equipped if I can guess their response. The closest DS ever got to going to a doctor, strange enough, was for a foreskin infection. By the time the appointment came around, the swelling was going down and there was no more pus, so we cancelled! *whew!*

[outlier]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

AAP Intact Care Guide

Forgive me if this has been mentioned before, but the information in this guide seems to imply that it's okay to go ahead and occasionally retract to clean underneath if the foreskin "is separated and retractable before he reaches puberty." It's actually carefully worded so it doesn't explicitly say if it's the parents or the boy who should do this. The doctor may read this and think her actions are perfectly acceptable once she can "help" get that foreskin retractable.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

What I did was actually save it in my word and reworded it a bit

Care of the Uncircumcised Penis

One of the first decisions you will make for your new baby boy is whether or not to have him circumcised. If you have chosen not to have your son circumcised, there are some things you should be aware of and teach your son as he gets older.
What Is Foreskin Retraction?
Sometime during the first several years of your son's life, his foreskin, which covers the head of the penis, will separate from the glans. 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.
After the foreskin separates from the glans, it can be pulled back away from the glans toward the abdomen. 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 teenage years. As a boy becomes more aware of his body, he will most likely discover how to retract his own foreskin. But foreskin retraction should never be forced. Until separation occurs, do not try to pull the foreskin back — especially an infant's. Forcing the foreskin to retract before it is ready may severely harm the penis and cause pain, bleeding and tears in the skin.

Does my Son's Foreskin Need Special Cleaning?
Your son's intact or uncircumcised penis requires no special care and is easy to keep clean. When your son is an infant, bathe or sponge him regularly and wash all body parts, including the genitals. Simply wash the penis with soap and warm water. Remember, do not try to forcibly retract the foreskin.

Since that is all that is pertinent to what the Dr. needs to know the rest isnt important. I included the AAP symbol at the top as well.

[tutucrazy]

As others have said:
-The doctor should never tried to retract, big no, no.
-Only 50% of boys are retractable by age 10 and many boys don't become retractable until after puberty. This is normal.
-Steroidal cream is ONLY for adults. Using it on your prepubescent son can cause thinning of the foreskin. This damages the tissue. DON'T USE!!!

Here is a good thread I wrote that will give you some great links:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...893&highlight=

You can print these links to give to that Dr.

Grrr, these Drs make me mad. :

[joanq]

My doctor (also WA) was concerned that ds wasn't retractable at his three year appointment too. It must be on their check list. Although our doctor just recommended making sure that the foreskin can be stretched away from ds's body. He does this plenty on his own so I let it at that. She suggested steroid cream if it didn't retract "soon".

However, I can see the foreskin open when ds urinates, so I know that it CAN and will eventually when he is ready. We've had no problems in the year since. DH said he didn't retract until 9 or 10 (remembers it quite clearly). So I forgot to worry

This year at the 4 year appointment there was no messing with the penis and the same doctor seemed to forget that he "should be retractable". It wasn't even mentioned and I didn't say anything either.

I wouldn't personally treat at this age, although if you are still concerned watch closely when he urinates and you may see it open. I know that made me feel better, that there wasn't anything anatomically "wrong".

[Galatea]

This strikes me as borderline abuse (on the part of the doctor.) Would they check a 3 year old girl to see how big her vaginal opening was? Disgusting. My almost-4-year-old cannot retract. He is fine. My older son could retract at 3. Who cares?

[trmpetplaya]

Well... actually... they do check for labial adhesions on little girls and prescribe (or at least push) steroid cream and sometimes they even rip the adhesions forcefully apart... so little girls aren't necessarily safe at the doctor either Although, thankfully, I've never had a doctor rip apart my daughter's labial adhesions without any warning (or at all since I certainly didn't give consent). So at least doctors seem to be slightly more loath to mess with girls' bits. There was still a lot of pressure to "take care of it" ASAP instead of taking the "wait and see" approach, but since most labial adhesions clear up in a couple years and if not, then certainly by puberty, I didn't give consent for any treatment.