Need advice--work related.....UPDATED - Page 3

[No2Circ]

Well........I did it!

I made a handout with facts from www.nocirc.org

I talked to three classes. I got a lot of questions, such as:

"My dad had to be circumcised as an older child. What do you think of that?"

"I don't remember my circumcision" (from a boy, obviously), "and I'm not mad at my parents about it. So why not do it when the baby won't remember it?"

"Isn't it cleaner to circumcise?"

"Why wouldn't you circumcise?"

"Aren't you afraid that your son will get teased?"



Anyway, if I changed the mind of even one future parent, it was well worth it. Thanks for the support!

[Quirky]

Originally Posted by Frankly Speaking

I basically agree with you but HPV is pervasive. You have to decide whether the risk of trusting Merk or the risk of cervical cancer is more important. If you test positive for active HPV, your chances of cervical cancer is very high.

Since Gardisil will stop existing HPV infections dead in their tracks it should not be used as a prophylaxis. But, I think that every expectant mother should be tested for the presence of HPV because the mother can pass the infection on to the child as it is passing through the birth canal. Apparently, this is very common. If the mother tests positive for the virus, she can make the decision of whether she wants to be vaccinated and if she elects not to, the child should be tested at around 5 years old to determine if it was infected. 97% - 98% of infected people will develop a natural immunity to HPV in about 3 years. If I were female, I would probably get the vaccination but if not, I would want to be tested every 4 or 5 years for HPV infection. HPV is not necessarily a STD. It can be transmitted as easily as shaking hands with an infected person



Frank

Frank, it's not true that if you test positive for HPV your chances of cervical cancer are very high. There are many strains of HPV and only a couple are associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. You can test positive (or develop a wart) from one of the strains of HPV not associated with an increased risk.

[Frankly Speaking]

As I understand from what I have read, there are two that are implicated in cervical cancer. I think they are 16 and 18. The one for genital herpes is 37, I believe. (going totally from memory here!) There are only about 4 or 5 that are related to cancers or other deleterious effects and the others are benign. I don't know if the test is strain specific or not but the vaccine is strain specific to those infections that cause cervical cancer. If you consider the 2% - 3% of women who don't develop immunity and compare that number to the number of women who develop cervical cancer or pre-cancerous conditions, there is a very significant risk.

I've seen that this test and the vaccine could virtually eliminate cervical cancer. That may be from Merk's press releases but from the considerable study I did on cervical cancer after the article on circumcision and cervical cancer published April 17, 2002 in The New England Journal of Medicine, I can see that that would be true if the test is accurate and if the vaccine is 100% effective as reported.

Even if the test is not strain specific, if I were a woman, I would be lining up for the vaccine if I tested positive. No question about it! Heck, if a lover tested positive, I'd probably get the vaccine.




Frank

[+stella+]

no2circ,
how did they take your answers?
i want to hear more about it! please share.

[calngavinsmom]

Originally Posted by +stella+

no2circ,
how did they take your answers?
i want to hear more about it! please share.

: Please do

Tara

[No2Circ]

Originally Posted by +stella+

no2circ,
how did they take your answers?

Well, honestly, what I saw a lot of was SHOCK that anyone was telling them NOT to circumcise. So much shock, as a matter of fact, that I had to say, "I realize that this is a huge paradigm shift--a huge change in perception--from the culture and society in which you and I both grew up in. I'm just asking you to keep an open mind, do the research for yourself, and don't automatically think that you have to circumcise."

I'm not sure how the child development teacher liked my presentation--I just got a very brief "thank you" from her, but maybe I planted some seeds.

[Shaunam]

I think you did a great job!

I learned about circ when I was in high school and was instantly shocked when I found out that it was done regularly. Before then, I never imagined that the penises I had seen had had SURGERY done on them. I just thought they came like that. Even today, the only intact penis I've seen IRL is my son's.

When I first found out about circ, I researched it online. Luckily, I found plenty of resources against it, which helped me get past the "it's cleaner and healthier" crap that I'd heard from my mom. I even came across a webpage of a guy who restored (complete with pics and a journal). This helped me realize that some guys don't want to be circ'ed and go to extreme lengths to fix what had been done to them.

I never thought circ'ing was OK, but it would have really helped if I had a positive role model in my life (like you, a teacher) to say that it is in fact BETTER to not circ.

I think you probably got through to lots of those kids.

[LoveChild421]

I'm so glad you had the opportunity to present this info to future parents! If one boy is left intact because of the seeds you planted then you have done an amazing thing! I have a feeling the seeds you planted will sprout when they are in the situation to decide for their sons and think "hey I remember my teacher saying it isn't necessary- I think I'll look that up."

and just think- all this sparked by a bumpersticker! this makes me

[~Nikki~]

I just want to say that this thread has me grinning. How great that some of you have the opportunity to speak about this in an educational setting! It really can make a difference. Not related to circ'ing, but it was my grade 6 teacher that first planted the seeds of breastfeeding to me, a formula fed baby in a predominatly formula feeding family, when she said "Why the heck would you want to bother with the fuss of bottles when you have *these* two, prewarmed, pre-prepared bottles at your disposal?" I wish I could track her down and thank her for that. I didn't even know BF'ing was an option for me (as the women in my family "couldn't" breastfeed), until she briefly discussed it at the end of question time in health class.

I'm sure you've changed the lives of many future baby boys. The words of a teacher can make a huge difference.

[Fi.]

The words of a teacher can make a huge difference.

How true. Honestly the fear of foreskin was driven into me by a health teacher, and had I heard what you said, it would have all been undone.

I have a kind English man to thank for planting the seeds in me.