5-yo non-circ son with poss adhesions?

[Lady of Z Lake]

Hi there. I've never posted in this forum before (I don't think), but I though I'd jump right in with a question... My ds is 5, and his foreskin does not fully retract-- just in a couple of spots, if you can imagine that. He has had a couple of fairly minor infections (irritations, redness, some slight discomfort), so we took him to the doctor. To make a long story short, the dr told us Max might need a circumcision, but he would like to avoid it at all costs (yeah!), so he prescribed a cortisone cream 2x a day for two weeks, then same thing again in a month. We've done the first round, and have now started the second, with very slight improvement.

I have read a number of posts here about adhesions when a child is circumcized, but what about when he's not? The dr (who will actually not perform circumcisions anymore-- we're in Switzerland) seems to think that if the cream doesn't work, Max will have to have it done. As this urologist seems to believe strongly against routine circumcision, I am having doubts about what to do for my little boy. I had never even considered circumcision-- never was even a question for me. But now I'm being faced with it (not to mention very annoying parents who think it will help Max's infections).

Please share any experiences or help.

[Daisyuk]

I'd say leave well alone. He's far too young to be suffering from phimosis, if it's still adhered in a couple of places, leave it alone and in a little while it will likely release on it's own. Even if it doesn't it isn't going to be a problem until he's in his late teens or early 20s and then it will really be up to him to decide what he wants to do. (As it should be).

I guess it's not only American doctors who think that penises should be completely retractible by a certain age, but that doctor is wrong, if he hadn't had the couple of "infections" which probably weren't infections at all, just a bit of reddening and burning due to the natural separation of the foreskin from the glans, you wouldn't have even noticed how retractible he was, as with almost all boys from intact countries.

There have been a couple of ladies on here recently whose sons had "infections" for which they were threatened with getting their children circ'd - and in 48 hours or so, their children were fine again. Check out the "warning for parents of intact sons" sticky, there's a lot of useful information there.

Chances are there was nothing wrong with your son at all and that if you just leave his penis alone, it will be fine in a few days.

[blsilva]

Originally Posted by Daisyuk

I'd say leave well alone. He's far too young to be suffering from phimosis, if it's still adhered in a couple of places, leave it alone and in a little while it will likely release on it's own. Even if it doesn't it isn't going to be a problem until he's in his late teens or early 20s and then it will really be up to him to decide what he wants to do. (As it should be).

: Its way too young to be worrying about this. It probably clear up on its own, if given time.
If the dr is suggesting circ at 5 if the cream doesn't work (which I don't think is necessary at this age), he's likely not one you want to be talking to.

[Ruthla]

It sounds to me like he's simply not retractable yet. I wouldn't call these "adhesions"- I'd just say he's retractable in a few places and not retractable in others. He should be the only one playing around with his foreskin anyway- you can actually cause irritation if you're trying to clean under there or freqently "test" to see if he can retract yet.

[Monkeygrrl]

i asked my 4.5yo the other day in the shower how far he could pull his foreskin back, cause i was curious about this very thing...he had been retractable (as i have seen it), but i havent seen/heard him do it lately...so i asked him...he told me that it could go back all the way, but he was "never going to do it again"...i asked him why, and he said that sometimes it hurts...i can only assume that its because he is retractable in some places and not others...or at some times and not others...i told him that when he was a bit older, then it wouldnt hurt and would be ok...he was ok with this answer...

its good that i have this forum to come to for correct information to give him, especially when the common information states that by this age, he should be fully retractable...

peace...

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

What he has are not adhesions they are called synachia and they are 100% normal. As the foreskin seperates it does so a little at a time. Not all at once and most of the time there will be spots were it is still attached.

You dont need to put anything on it it will release on its own when it is ment to. Any time between now and adulthood.

The redness and irritation also sounds like to me he was going thru the seperation process. Pain is pretty common then it is just something that happens.

I wouldnt take him back anymore unless he starts showing definate signs of infection ie. discharge and swelling.

Here is some information that you need to read.
http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...uncircson.html

Your son's foreskin is "adhered" to the glans. It must be amputated.

The attachment of the foreskin and glans is nature's way of protecting the undeveloped glans from premature exposure. Detachment is a normal physiological process that can take up to two decades to complete. By the end of puberty, the foreskin will have detached from the glans because hormones that are produced in great quantities at puberty help with the process. There is no age by which a child's foreskin must be fully separated from the glans.

[phatchristy]

After reading your post, I'm starting to wonder if you or someone has been retracting you son's foreskin to clean it. Is that the case? Doing that can cause infections actually.

I met a mom once IRL who complained her son was getting "infections" and would have to be circ'd. Well, guess what...she had the incorrect information and had been retracting and cleaning under the foreskin from the get go : . I gave her a link to D.O.C....last I heard from her she'd gone and seen a foreskin friendly urologist and "voila" got the "leave it alone" clean it only on the outside like it's a finger. Of course, now NO problems.

Just imagine what could have happened if I hadn't ran into her : .

When they hit puberty, then they can just retract themselves, rinse under warm water and replace.

[Lady of Z Lake]

This is so helpful-- thanks for all this info.

No,we (nor anyone else) do not retract his foreskin-- unless you consider having ds gently pull it back just for a quick wash. I have pretty much never done anything to it. And we've only been doing the quick wash since he had some irritation. It doesn't seem to have bothered him at all, and in fact, we have avoided any redness since ensuring we're rinsing it off.

And I will qualify that he can pull it back (and does so himself often enough! ), but there are a number of spots where it is stuck (looks fused, like the same skin) around the head when he does. And there are spots that are "open" (but mostly not).

Based on your responses, it sounds like it can be normal, and that I need to give him a lot more time to see if it naturally detaches. I'm already feeling relief.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Yes time is the answer here letting him pull it back and rince is a good idea as that may help the sore spots heal faster. Since he knows what hurts and what dosnt.

Many mom's here have came in to ask about spots that are still attached and in all the cases they end up releasing on their own. Usually about 6 months after the original post they come back with a update about how it is fully retractable now and their son is fine.

I hope to see such a update from you later on.

And just for the record the only true medical reasons to circ. are frostbite, gangrene, cancer, a condition called hypospadias if severe enough, and accident damage that cant be fixed without it. As you can imagine those things just dont happen very often. If as a adult they have true phimosis circ is a last resort after trying stretching with steroid creams, and if that dosnt work then a small slit can be cut allowing retraction. Then circ if all the other fails.

I am curious is the Dr. you spoke to originaly from there or from somewere else?

[glongley]

The short answer is:

Your son's penis is normal. The "adhesions" will release on their own in time (and maybe a long time). The doctor is wrong to be bringing up the topic of circumcision for these. And your son does not need steroids.

Read here to learn about the normal process for separation and why some doctors think (incorrectly) that something "must be done" if a boy is not retractable by age 5.
http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/

Gillian

[glongley]

As for your son's "very minor infections" and your parents thinking that circumcision would clear them up:

a) they're may not actually be true infections (i.e. bacterial or yeast) but may very likely be simply skin irritations. Things like over exposure to chlorine or soap or overconcentrated urine can cause irritation of the foreskin. Temporary discomfort may be a result of separation of new areas underneath the foreskin, where the tissue is newly raw for a few days, and stings with urination. Teach him to wash his hands, have him swish is foreskin in clean bath water regularly if he handles it a lot, make sure he gets enough fluids, etc.

b) cutting off ANY part of the body would clear up the risk of any infections in that part. Geez, girls get irritations of their genitals, and no one's suggesting cutting them off to clear up their infections! The foreskin gets no respect!

Gillian

[Vito's Mommy]

Great post and great advice, as always.
Ds is going thru the same exact thing and I keep reassuring myself that it's just his foreskin making it's way down...slowly but surely. Thanks for the reinforcement!

[trmpetplaya]

Yep, just leave it alone and if he still has fused bits when he's 18 or sexually active then he can explore some other options like steroid creams and the like. Circumcision is definitely NOT the answer from what I can tell in your post. Many many boys aren't fully (or even partially) retractile by age 5.

love and peace.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

What he has are not adhesions they are called synachia and they are 100% normal. As the foreskin seperates it does so a little at a time. Not all at once and most of the time there will be spots were it is still attached.

You dont need to put anything on it it will release on its own when it is meant to. Any time between now and adulthood.

:

[baybee]

<< Geez, girls get irritations of their genitals, and no one's suggesting cutting them off to clear up their infections! The foreskin gets no respect!>>

Funny you should say this, Gillian. I was visiting one of my midwifery students last week (same one who wouldn't let her aunt genitally mutilate the twin boys). She has a 5 y.o. daughter whose birth I attended. The little girl said to me and her Mom "It hurts at the end when I go pee." The mother was very alarmed that she might have a UTI. I told her that more likely it was a rash that could be cleared up with a zinc diaper cream (Penaten is my favourite cure-all in the world). I asked the little girl to lie down on the floor and let us see if she had an "ouchy". She flopped her legs open and, sure enough, she was bright red and chafed. I told the Mom that I would run out to the drugstore and grab some Penaten. The little girl said to me "I don't want you to touch me there!" I said to her "You're right, I won't touch your vulva---you can just put your own fingers in the cream and put it on, your Mom will help you." It was such a great little opportunity to demonstrate that:
1. assume the simplest problem first
2. a child has the right to privacy and control of her own body
3. it's okay to speak up to adults and tell them if you're worried about something.

I told her it would probably help her if she drank more water and wiped herself
dry when she pee'd. She said "That's what my Daddy tells me."

Even tho her Mom was instantly jumping to UTI imaginings, there certainly was not any thought of steroid creams or cutting for a girl.

Dr Mendelsohn always used to say that God only made one mistake on the human body--He put the tonsils too close to where a surgeon could grap them with a forceps. I think the other error that God made was putting a boy's foreskin out in the open where too many fools spend too much time thinking of creative ways to "improve" God's perfect design.

[Lady of Z Lake]

I am curious is the Dr. you spoke to originaly from there or from somewere else?

The doctor is Swiss.

And thanks again to all. I feel very confident about-- not doing anything (including stopping the cream)! This is a huge relief to us.

As for Max's "infections" I am sure that is not what they were. He had some redness and discomfort. It just so happened that the redness coincided with us noticing that he wasn't fully retractible and when we had him checked, we got the circumcision blah blah.

And where my mom is concerned, well, I guess it's a good thing we live so far away. This way there's no hounding about what we're doing about Max. Just occasional emails to see if we're taking care of him (as if we weren't?!). Please reassure me I'm not destined to become my mother... Though I guess I was already different from her the first day I became a mother; had I been a boy, I would've been circumcised.