Medical Circumcision???

[nicolebug]

My one year old son is not circumcised and is having a problem with his foreskin allowing the urine to drain. Basically, the urine builds up in the foreskin like a water balloon and then drains slowly. It's only a few second process, but it's very noticeable. We saw a Urologist today and he recommended circumcision. The opening is so small, it can't really be located. He informed us that there is a steroid cream application that we could try, but when pressed for an answer he stated that because the opening is so small, it probably wouldn't work.

If we do have to circumcise him I would rather that he not remember it, but I am concerned about the anesthetic. Is it better to wait and see how it goes, or is it better to have it done now before he will remember it? Is there a possibility that it will stretch on its own? Has anyone had this experience?

[eclipse]

I don't have a lot of time, and I'm sure someone will come along to give a better explaination and more detailed answer, but in short - your son does not need to be circumcised based on the info in your post. "Ballooning" while urinating is perfectly normal and not something that needs to be corrected.

[littlemizflava]

yes ballooning is normal. my ds had a very small opening at 3.5 it is just now starting to show that there is a hole there. even now it drips forever. when he was younger it looked closed it looked more like a little dimple in the skin not like a opening. even when he peed it would balloon then come out slowly and drip forever.

how old is your ds? i would say watch it and wait as long as pee is coming out it should be fine. he is not getting infections from the pee being backed up. before i ever did a circ i would do many other things but never a circ for that.

[blessedwithboys]

i am a mama who circed and regrets it.

part of why i regret it is all the info i gathered here after it was too late. one thing i learned was that ballooning is normal, and possibly even necessary to help with natural retraction.

based on what you have written, your best bet is to never see that circ-happy surgeon again.

best wishes for maintaining your sons gential integrity!

[Dev]

Circumcision is NOT medically necessary for your son, your urologist is dead wrong! A tight and small preputal opening is normal for infants and young boys. His prepuce / foreskin is doing its job of protecting his urethra from germs. Ballooning of some degree is normal for most boys at varioius stages and ages of development. Sometimes the ballooning and separation can be a bit sore and a bit painful for some boys but this stage is short lived. Steroid cream is totally not necessary for tolddlers and young boys since your son's penis including his prepuce (foreskin) takes 15 to 18 yrs. to Fully develop. If an adolescent boy who is past puperty has a tight prepuce with little or a very tight retraction upon erection, then and only then should steroid cream be used to widen the opening. Also, penile growth, erections, and manipulation / masturbation helps stretch the preputal oppening. Let mother nature and time do its job, just relax and don't worry.

Also, read up on why forced retraction is very harmful and causes unretractibility in boys. There's info. in the resources section of this circ. forum. Lastly, a small percentage of young men in real life (1 to 2%) in European countries that don't circ have a tight unretractable prepuce when they reach early adulthood. Even in these young men, circumcision is not necessary. A surgical procedure called a prepuplasty makes the preputal opening larger and the prepuce retractable WITHOUT anmputating any sensitive tissue. A few verticle slits are made on the prepuce and then stitched horizontally. Don't let any physician retract your son and tell all health care providers beforehand not to because it will cause pain, and possible damage to the tissue.

Call NOCIRC for expert advice and support. Their info. is listed below. Lastly, Bless you for questioning the urologist and for coming here. Remember the USA is a circumcising culture (50-60% of infant boys circed this yr.!) and many circumcised physicians were taught minimal or incorrect info. on the development and normalcy of the male prepuce including its protective, sensual, and sexual functions that last a life time. Don't forget to educate the Urologist on what you learn and why your son will Not undergo a prepuce amputation. Prepuce amputations are medically needed in very very rare cases of gangrene, severe frostbite causing tissue to die, cancerous tissue, or irrepairable damage (i.e. mauled by a dog).

NOCIRC
PO Box 2512
San Anselmo
CA 94979-2512

[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

[Fellow Traveler]

Hey there Nicolebug. Ballooning (which is what this is called) is pretty normal for an intact boy. The only real issue is whether or not he is urinating. If he is and he is doing so without significant effort or discomfort then he is in all probability just fine. There are a number of resources here including this:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=764732?

Which should get you started. You can also call Marilyn @ NOCIRC for a second opinion referral.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

What everyone else said what your ds is having is normal and it is a sign he is starting to retract. The tip of the foreskin is a sphincter like the anus and only opens when in use.

Please dont allow anyone to retract him that is a big because of the damage it can cause.

Please read the thread linked to in the pp and please run dont walk from that Dr. he is not up to date on foreskin issues at all. The steroid cream is for boys who are in puberty or adult males with phimosis and should never be used on boys younger than that.

Here are some other links on ballooning
http://www.cirp.org/library/hygiene/

The separation of the foreskin from the glans penis Ballooning of the prepuce while urinating cannot occur until separation is underway. The occurence of ballooning indicates that separation has started.15 Babu et al. have proven that ballooning does not interfere with urination.21 Ballooning is a normal developmental stage and is not a cause for concern and does not require treatment.16 20 A child temporarily may report some discomfort or pain while urinating during this period. This occurs because the ballooning may tear at any residual connection to the glans. The discomfort will stop when separation is complete. The foreskin may still not be retractable at this point because the opening is still narrow. With increased growth and maturity, the ballooning will end when opening of the foreskin widens.

http://www.norm-uk.org/circumcision_alternative_treatments.html

Ballooning of the Foreskin Ballooning of the foreskin while urinating can be a normal phase of development during childhood. It is not an indication for circumcision. Ballooning is a temporary phenomenon that arises when the foreskin begins to separate from the glans. It speeds the process of separation and disappears when the process is complete.

[eepster]

Ballooning is common and harmless. Many of our sons did it. It will last for some just a short time, but it will go on for a few years with others.

Steroid creams are for older teen agers and adults who wish to be able to retract more comfortably for grown up activity. It needs to be used in conjunction with certain exercises that are exceedingly inappropriate to do on a baby. The cream will at best be ineffective if use on a baby with out doing the stretching exercises and possibly harmful.

[bandgeek]

Ditto to what everyone else said. I'll add that my son is 5 and has ballooned since he was probably 10 months old. The dripping is annoying once they potty-train because it gets on their hands and the seat, but other than that, not an issue.

[claddaghmom]

My brother is 7 and has ballooned for a couple years. We all know who used the toilet b/c there's little drops all over it lol. (He hates to raise up the seat).

It is very normal and a good sign that his body parts are working! Don't let anyone interfere with his body!

Some boys go through this stage quickly, others like my brother can take awhile. But without any pain or absolute prevention of urination, all is well.

Also, that steroid cream is for teens/adults. I wonder if the doctor had to be pressed to tell you more info b/c he was embarrassed? I mean, it's basically like he would have had to tell you to rub your son's penis. Blech.


And besides, even if your son was in the rare statistic that did not stretch, there's still another procedure to try before circumcision.

[Yulia_R]

Balloning is totally normal. there is nothing wrong with your son. it's just a normal part of the separation process.

[Greg B]

Both my sons ballooned. They have had no problems whatsoever with their foreskins.

Regards

[balancedmama]

I'm so sorry you've gotten such poor information. Ballooning is normal - don't retract your son, and I'd be pretty mad that your urologist wants to do unnecessary surgery on your son. I'd be complaining and sending some info.

[nicolebug]

Was the opening in their foreskins extremely small??? That's what I'm worried about, it just doesn't seem as though it will ever be big enough to fully retract. It's such a tiny opening!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

It is a sphincter it is only meant to open when in use like the anus.

It will grow as he does and eventually relax to allow retraction. It is normal. Ds's was a pin hole as well he is 5 now and can retract easily about three quarters of the way.

[Mama2Kayla]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

It is a sphincter it is only meant to open when in use like the anus.

It will grow as he does and eventually relax to allow retraction. It is normal. Ds's was a pin hole as well he is 5 now and can retract easily about three quarters of the way.

Yes to all of this. My ds just went thru potty training, so I've been watching him pee quite a bit lately . His foresking actually opens up to expel the urine. When he is done it is back to its normal self where you really can't see an opening. I have no idea how much my son retracts yet as I have never seen him pull it back before, but it can't be very much.

What you described sounds perfectly normal. Doctors here in the US don't know anything about intact boys(most of the time). If anything, get a second opinion from a doctor who knows how a natural penis functions. Surgery is not the answer.

[bandgeek]

Yes, the opening is tiny. When my DS messes with his and yanks it back, you cannot see the head at all, it's just like a pinpoint opening.

The skin loosens over time to allow it to stretch enough to retract. It's rare for an infant to have a large enough opening to retract.

Really, you have nothing to worry about, and like some others have said, even IF he has issues with it later, it does not warrant a circ.

[littlemizflava]

Originally Posted by nicolebug

Was the opening in their foreskins extremely small??? That's what I'm worried about, it just doesn't seem as though it will ever be big enough to fully retract. It's such a tiny opening!

yes my ds's opening is very small just now at 3.5 can you see that there is a opening. up until he was 3 you could not see that it was a opening at all. dont worry about retracting because as he is a teen it will loosen enough. if it didnt and he was in pain at that time the worse case would be cream and streching or a slit in his forskin.

i see those 2 things as way way rare because i have been with 2 who can not fully retract when errect but we had not problems with sex the forskin does loosen after time so there was no problems with retracting after a while

[eepster]

Yes as others point out there is a sphincter. When DS was that age it would sometimes be really small, but it always opened up when he would pee during diaper changes you could see it open right up.

[billikengirl]

http://www.mothering.com/health/prot...advice-parents

Love Dr. Fleiss's book "what your dr may not tell you about circumcision" as well