to circumcise or not?

[Kristy&Alex]

Hello everyone !

Just wanted to hear everyones views on circumcision:-

If anyone has had the procedure done on their baby boy some helpful info on where to start making enquires would be a BIG help !

Thank-u from Kristy 25

[Eleni's Mum]

Hi Kristy,

Firstly congrats on the news, my friend is about 18wks and just found out she is having a boy too!!

I wanted to warn you that this can be a touchy subject but in the the decision is yours.

I'll be honest and say that I'm anti circumcision. I understand that religion is often the reason for it or Dad's want their little ones to look like them - ick!

But honestly unless there is a real medical reason it shouldn't be done. We cry out against female circuncision so why not male. Most boys are no longer done and very few doctors will actually do it anymore. My nephew had it done and I was living with my sister when she did do it so I do understand what happens.

I have a lot of info on this subject and don't want to overwhelm you but please know that it's not necessary, it's not a cleanliness issue or God forbid a fashion accessory! It's a part of their very personal bits :o Take special care when you think about it. And hey if he changes his mind when he's older then he can do it. You can't take it back once it's gone!

I'm really sorry if I'm being rude in anyway I'm just a little passionate about circumcision be it male or female.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you need more info.

Jenni

[Miss_Vicki]

Hi
i thinks its personal prefrence Im against it , If i had a son i woudnt do , suposely its had to find a doc to do it ,

still hope u pick whats best for ya baby :)

[Lachlan's Mum]

I agree that it is a personal choice. When we had Lachlan, initially we planned on having it done.....on the basis of cleanliness and also because my DH is. Anyway, after doing some reading and talking to our Paed. (who is against it) we now understand that it is not necessary...and on the cleanliness front, you just have to teach them to clean themselves, just as they have to learn to clean their teeth!! :p

So we did not end up getting Lachlan done......DH and I never really went into great detail or debate about it - but I sort of thought why do something that it not necessary?? Lachlan got reflux and was quite ill and in pain and that was awful and the last thing I wanted was to inflict more discomfort on him.

We were also made aware of the fact (now I can't confirm this) that most boys are not getting done now and the ones that are will apparently be the exception in years to come in locker rooms - instead of the other way around in the past....so I kind of think that maybe we've done Lachlan a favour and he'll feel "normal" when he is a teenager....and like Jenni says (Eleni's Mum) he can always do it later. ;)

Our friends have had both their boys done - and no probs were experienced - they "got over it" pretty quick etc. They say "we can't get our 4 year old to brush his teeth, let alone clean those bits properly", so I guess there is opinion both ways out there....you really need to weigh up the pros and cons and make your decision.

We were told by our Paed. that you don't have to worry about the cleaning bit for years....but I don't really know when, so I'll have to find out.......Do you know Jenni?? :confused:

Well that is just my two bits worth and I'm sure you'll get heaps of responses here....so don't get too confused. :rolleyes:

[Lachlan's Mum]

I should have mentioned, Kristy, that my friends had their son done here in Brisbane by a Dr in Mt Gravatt....I can get the name if you do decide to go ahead.

[Eleni's Mum]

Hi again,

I can do a bit of an age search but I do know that you're not meant to roll their foreskin back for a number of years as it can either tear or get stuck (awful thought) as the skin hasn't developed the elasticity yet. So the cleanliness factor doesn't really come into play for sometime. I think it's like toddler age but I'll look into it for you.

Just found this quote,

"Parents sometimes want their son circumcised because they think that the uncircumcised penis is too hard to take care of and keep clean. This is not true. The uncircumcised or intact penis is relatively easy to take care. In fact, until the foreskin begins to retract, no special care is required. Once the foreskin does retract, you, or your child once he is old enough, can just gently retract the foreskin, clean the head of the penis with soap and water, rinse, and then pull the foreskin back over the head of the penis.

Hope it helps, Jenni

[Elfin]

Hi Kristy

I agree with everyone here that it is a personal choice though not necessary. My son is 5 (nearly 6) and from about 4 he could roll the skin back a little bit (not a lot otherwise it was sore) to clean the tip of the penis. I think it is best to wait until they can roll the skin back themselves and I have never pushed the cleaning thing too hard.

He only had a minor problem about 18months ago where the tip became inflamed and it was painful to urinate so I went to the GP who gave me a cream which cleared up the problem in a couple of days. As the GP at time told me, this was only a minor thing that happens occasionally and a not a reason to support circumcision. He hasn't had any problems since and we have never regretted not getting him circumcised.

Easterlily :)

[4silvers]

Hi Kristy,

Like all the other ladies I agree it is a personal choice, my husband and I decided to get our son done, he didn't seem to experience any discomfort, he never cried or seemed upset, apart from seeing that it was done when changing him you wouldn't have known he had the procedure done.

We went to the Dr that Lachlan's mum mentioned, Dr Terry Russell, 620 Kessels Road MacGregor, ph: 3349 644, he does have a website that you can look up for any questions you might have but I can't remember the address sorry.

We also have had no regrets with our decision and would do it agin if we had another boy but don't let anyone push you into getting it done, like some of the other ladies said if he decideds he wants it done when he is older he can.

[Angel]

There's a wonderful article that I remember reading here http://www.naturalparenting.com.au/articles/issue2/circumcision.htm

It's called:

Circumcision - What Parents Need to Know
by Shane Peterson, Scientific Advisor, Circumcision Information Australia and George Williams, Consulting Paediatrician

And is basically a Q&A format. Very useful.

[chez79]

Hi there Kristy,
You seem to have alot of views against it, so i thought I would give you a view for it. I have two son's which have both been done, they both had the procedure at a very young age, it's recommended the younger the better, because as they get older it can cause more discomfort for them. Both my son's had a hassle free procedure & it didn't seem to bother them at all. We were very happy with it all. And if it's what you want, I would recommend it, we had it done by Dr Terry Russell's surgery at Mt Gravatt & the staff there are very friendly & reassuring. Good luck with your decision & trust in it :) Cheryl

[Lily]

Hi there,
Well I have had both my boys circumsised and this was because my husband is and I don't want him looking different to the boys incase they question their own manliess.... I would not compare female circumcision to males circumcision as the female version is "another" way to "control and ruin the lives of women" and they circumcise to take away any pleasure from the woman and to ensure she is a virgin when married.... mainly in tribal countries.... and they cut off the cliterous which is totally different to the skin around the penis... They give you cream to deaden the skin anyway..... I think it looks better and feels better... and I would pick a circumcised male over a non circumcised any day...
I do not regret my decsion at all.... and who cares if they get picked on in the locker room.... teach your kids to not care what anyone says about you... bring them up right and it won't matter....
Talk to circumscised men and I am sure they will tell you they like it.... and are happy it was done... esp as a baby

Well I hope this helps you.... it really is a personal preference.... What do you think is right for YOUR baby

[Lachlan's Mum]

This is always going to be a contraversial topic, and I think everyone has done really well to post their views without offending any others.

Everyone has agreed it is a personal issue, and no-one's view should be pushed on to others.

Even though I have not had Lachlan done, I still don't consider myself to be either for or against it.

I say this with as much respect for Lily as possible...but I think some of your comments are WAY off point......by this I mean:-

1. Circumsised men would have NO IDEA what it felt like to be uncircumsised (unless of course they had it done late in life) so your comment re this is ridiculous!

2. Getting "picked on" in locker rooms (and I do not want to put anymore importance on this than is necessary) is a VERY big deal to teenage boys and nothing to do with how they are brought up and I actually took offence to your comment about that..

3. Your comment re picking a circumsised male over an uncircumsised one (and obviously this is personal to you).....I consider that to be the type of arrogance that is keeping circumsision an issue after all these years....if that is really how women pick men then the world is more screwed up than I thought!!! :eek:

I can't (and therefore WONT) comment on the comparison to female circumsision as I don't know enough about it.

I don't want (as it has never been the case on this forum) people to be afraid to air their views...so this is not the intention of my post. But I also don't want people to scare the life out of first time pregnant women by posting things on here that I consider to be unfair (ie about whether their baby boys will be preferred by women in the future based on whether you get them circumsised or not) and not on the point of the real issue.

Sorry for any offence, Lily.

[Eleni's Mum]

I couldn't agree with you more Mel,

I didn't know how to comment but seeing this is a forum here is my two cents worth.

If you raise your child to ignore change room stupidness then why can't you raise your child to not consider a piece of skin around their penis to be a threat to their manliness?

My husband tells me its easier to fake not having a foreskin than trying to pretend you have one :o

Boys as are girls can be effected by what kids say, their temperament more than their upbringing can effect this. As for manliness oh please!

The medical facts re sexual pleasure - a woman will always have a better time with a foreskin on!!! (So will a man for that matter). You work out why! Of course if they don't know any different either way it's no question.

Male v female circulmcision same argument as far as I'm concerned. It takes away the persons right to choose. A woman can be circumcised in degrees not just their clitoris and it's not just about keeping them in line. Some of the arguments are the same - cleanliness, it looks better, its what we've always done and I had it done so why not my child. Oh and female circumcision may be illegal in Australia but believe me it happens here.

Babies are given panadol before the procedure, they may use topical anaesthetic (which I presume is what Lily is talking about) but it wears off quickly and it still hurts later just like any surgical incision.

Of course most men will say they preferred the procedure done as a child but there are a growing number of men who are also saying they wish it had not happened as it can decrease sexual pleasure.

In my first post I said this was controvertial. It's great to have forums where we can vent and speak our minds as we are so often encouraged to smile politely and get along. So bring on the debate/discussion and enjoy our right to choose but lets also continue to be informed about the choices we make!

[Kristy&Alex]

Hello Everyone !

I just wanted to thank everyone for their opinions & for posting their "2 cents worth". ;)

For those who have had it done, could you possibly tell me the cost involved, whether or not their is a concession for health care card & so on? Being a single mum I have to factor in cost for everything. :rolleyes:

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to reply. :)

Kristy 25 First time single mum to be

[darwin-mum]

Hi Kristy,

Just wanted to let you know my story, or "2 cents worth".

My hubby is circumsised and so we planned to have B done because at the time (2001) we fully researched the pros and cons for both and they seemed to weigh up with none "better" than the other.

When we asked about how and when etc. we were told (in adelaide this was) that they would only do it once he got to 6 mths old and would have to have an anesthetic to do it.

We then decided that seeing as the pros and cons did not convince us we were really just doing it for cosmetic purposes and decided against it. We thought that they would do it in the first couple of days and he would get over it pretty quick. Thats what they did with a friend of mine.

B is now 3 1/2 and we've never had any problems, we have always bathed him and let him play for a good 1/2 hour in the bath so certain areas get a good soak and have never tried to clean the area that doesn't show.

only in the last few weeks he came to me and said "look mum, I found a ball!" He was so excited and I was very confused when he pulled out his penis to show me this "ball".

He had discovered that he can pull back his forskin and the tip of his penis which he had never seen before looked like a little ball! Scared the crap out of me at first "should he be able to do that?" "should he be doing that even if he is able?" I rang a nurse friend of mine and she said that this was a good thing as her little one could not do this and they had to have him circumsised at 4. She also had a good cackle at my absolute Shock Horror!

so i'll leave you with that funny little story and agree with the comment that it is a very personal choice, just make sure you are comfortable with why you feel its necessary.

fiona

[chez79]

Hi there Kristy, It's Cheryl again (chez79), just wanted to let you know what I think the costs are, as we had it done quite awile ago, I think you have to have a consultaion to begin with which costs $50, which you can get a rebate back from medicare, then you go back for the procedure which I think was around $260, could be more ( no rebate) & you also have to go back in for a final consultation! Your best option would be to ring the surgery & they will let you know all the costs & consultations required. :)
:( Now to reply to some comments made, for starters the comment that it's a medical fact that uncircumsised men have better sexual satisfaction then those who are. How can you prove this, how can you say this is a medical fact!!! AND "a women will always have a better time with a foreskin on".........WHAT THE?????? :rolleyes: Also something that is mentioned quite alot, that they (boy) can choose to have it done in the future, that's all good & well, except it will cause them extreme discomfort & pain, my husbands friend had it done when he was 19, due to medical reasons (foreskin was too tight) & he was in extreme agony for two weeks. We all have our opinions & that is all they should be! We are all women making statements on a male issue in their later life that we really have no idea about! I think we've gotten off the subject that was at hand, a young single mum, asking for some advice on getting her baby boy circumcised, not on how it will affect his future sex life! Good Luck Kristy

[Lachlan's Mum]

Couldn't agree with you more Chez79 re the subject at hand! ;) But am a little concerned re your friend having two weeks of pain.....what does that indicate for our little baby boys...??? :confused: :eek:

[chez79]

What I was trying get across was as a male gets older, circumcision causes him alot more discomfort & pain & as babies they suffer much less discomfort & they're alot less aware of it! So the younger it is done, the less discomfort & pain it will cause them! :)

[Eleni's Mum]

Happy to keep to the topic - so the statement about baby's experiencing less pain is so untrue. They just aren't able to vocalise as we do.

[willsmum]

Each to their own I guess, but before you make a decision on something that is permanent, please be sure you are doing this for reasons that feel right to you.

If you are single, please try to find a sympathetic male (brother? friend?) to chat to about how men feel about this whole issue.

Making a life decision for a tiny little person is hard enough when you are a couple, let alone if you have to make it all by yourself and you can't possibly understand how it would feel from a male perspective.

For the record, we didn't get our little man done. We just couldn't see any compelling reason to do so. If he has medical problems later then we'll deal with it then.

[chez79]

this is so crazy, it's nearly midnight & I can't sleep, I also keep thinking about the silly statement made about babies not being able to vocalise their feelings. :confused: Well I don't know about you other mum's out there but I know that my two sons are quite capable of vocalising their feeling. My first son had reflux which caused him severe pain & discomfort & he certainly let me know how he felt with high pitched screaming! So I'm pretty sure if they were in so much pain from their circumsision, that they would be able to cry, scream, whinge & let us know how much discomfort they are feeling. Now I know, because I have had two sons which have had the procedure, that the most crying they did was for 5-10minutes, then I gave them a feed & all was forgotten, they happily fed, slept, bathed & played for the following days, with no signs of discomfort, like someone mentioned earlier, you wouldn't know they had it done, except for when you changed them or bathed them it was visible to you! Also the only pain relief they had was Panadol after the procedure ( apart from the cream to numb the penis) & they didn't require anything after that! :p Babies can't speak words, but they can certainly vocalise how they are feeling or if they need/want something!

[Elfin]

Dear Chez

I am sure no one meant to upset or hurt the feelings of any of the mums who have got their sons circumcised. As has been stated earlier, this is an emotive topic and it is really a personal choice. We all make the best decisions we can at the time for our children. I am sure you did just that.

I totally agree that children do vocalise their discomfort or distress and agree that if you are going to do circumcision it is best done as young as possible. Don't feel bad or guilty or let anyone make you feel that way. It is great that your boys didn't experience much pain. Even though I didn't get my own son circumcised, my husband is done and it wouldn't make a difference to me either way. I thank you for posting your experience and for bringing a different perspective which is what this forum is all about. The thread was 'to circumcise or not' so it is good both sides have been presented to help Kristy or any other parents out there make an informed decision.

Best wishes
Easterlily :)

[Eleni's Mum]

I couldn't agree more. This will always be a topic with a huge range of opinions and emotions.

Its always difficult to say exactly what you want to in a written form then it would be face to face. My apologies is your feelings have been hurt. My intention was to keep my statements brief but in doing so Ive left a lot of the conversation and explaining what I meant out.

When I said, "They just aren't able to vocalise as we do", its true. We speak, they cry, it also stemmed from the ongoing medical debate re old and young people not feeling as much pain and therefore are so often left without adequate pain relief. It was in no way commenting on any one mothers reaction to their child in pain but a reflection on the medical community. I know me saying this will probably upset someone else but having workedin the medical community for sometime I think I can speak from experience.

Again I apologis eif you feel attacked, I did not mean to do so. As I said at the beginning this is an emotive issue and I was trying to give another side of the argument :o

[Angel]

I also believe that the pain we feel is not proportional with our size/age. Infact, a dare say and open wound on the penis would hurt a lot more when you wear a wet nappy for a portion of the day, than when you wear dry undies.

It is cosmetic surgery unless there is medical grounds or advice. I don't agree with male circumcision and I don't agree with piercing young children's ears either. It is a permanent alteration of THEIR bodies. And certainly we are now hearing of cases of MEN trying to sue their parents for taking away a part of their body without their consent. I don't mean for this to be an ear-piercing debate, or even a debate, but that's just another example of what some parents choose to do TO their children without their consent. Admitedly circumcision is somewhat more permanent than ear piercing.

That vast majority of Australian-born boys in the last few decades have not been circumcised. I'd hazzard a guess that in the years that a boy is more emotionally vulnerable his penis will spend more time exposed to his peers' than his fathers. That is one argument that I find bizarre in the current non-circumcised climate. Our boys will have more vulnerable naked-time with their mostly uncircumcised peers than they ever will their fathers.

[jelly]

Hi

Maybe not such a good idea to re-open such a highly emotive thread, but I am new here and I'd love to give a different point of view.

I have 2 boys, both circumsized by Dr Terry Russell at Mt Gravatt. I had my first done at 4 months and my second son done at 2 weeks. My first was awake and had the topical anesthetic and panadol. My second bub slept through the procedure. He also had the anesthetic and panadol. Neither of them cried, my first just protested for a second cause he doesn't like being on his back. Certainly no pain screaming.

My husband is circumsized, but that is not the reason we had them done. My now 3yr old nearly died when he was 14weeks old from a urinary tract infection. I know that doesn't sound serious, but his heart was beating too fast, he wasn't breathing and the infection wasn't responding to antibiotics. I watched my almost lifeless little baby rushed to hospital in an ambulance, having needles put through his stomach into his bladder, rushed into resusitation because he wasn't breathing and then eventually coming good...Thank God. It turns out that he actually has renal reflux which is when the urine flushes from the bladder back up to the kidneys taking bacteria with it.

Now we chose to have him done because it would reduce the chance of UTI's, not necessarily stop them, but reduce it considerably. I guess I won't know whether that has prevented them, or whether had we done it earlier, whether it would have prevented the one at 14weeks, I will never know, but I do know that it was a tough decision to make, and not one we made lightly. But potentially his life was a stake.

Because we made this decision for both of our boys - even though there was a genuine medical reason - I have copped a lot. I was told that it was genital mutilation, one person even went as far to say that it was abuse. Particularly as my second son actually has no medical reason for having it done.

All of us, whether we chose for or against, love our children to pieces. Never mind the reasons behind the choice. I feel every time someone comments on it that I have to explain the whole medical drama to them. Like I have to justify it. Even a family member told me that it wasn't necessary - funny - they weren't standing over a baby who was blue wondering if we were going to be leaving the hospital with a baby or not.

I think as mother's we should all be supporting each other. We will never in a million years all totally agree on everything, but mum's need support. Whether it be circumsision, breast v'sbottle, co-sleeping/cot or discipline- we will have differing opinions - but none of us should say that the other is wrong.

[Elfin]

Jelly, I really agree with what you said especially that as parents we should be supporting one another even though our style/ methods may be different. Like I said earlier in this thread that I believe parents make the best decisions they can for their children and no one has the right to judge or condemn anyone else. If this happens then it is that person with the problem.

But I don't think this is the most controversial thread. It is definitely alone and pregnants update :o

Easterlily :)

[Catherine Saunders]

When I was looking into the same thing the thing that really stuck with me was " it all depends on daddy" Now my boys 2 and starting to be aware of thoughs little things I'm glad I followed the advice. He and daddy are the same and I can imagine that it's saved alot of questions
Goodluck with everything
Catherine

[rebecca]

Hi everyone,

I agree that this is a controversial topic. To be honest I did not really understand the reasons behind this whole procedure nor think it made any difference (appearance wise) from a women's perspective. However since being advised that we are having a boy, I have discovered that there are medical and appearance reasons for parents making their decisions. We have decided to not get our son done when he is born, unless their is a medical reason that requires it to be done.
The thread which mentions adults being able to sue their parents for choices that were made on their behalf is quite frightenening...does this mean that adults will soon also sue parents for making decisions regarding immunisation choices, as I feel that these topics are slightly related when we are talking about making choices on behalf of our children.
Like I have previously mentioned in another thread, (as to have most mums) we all make these decisions with the best interests of our children in mind...

Keep smiling everyone.....

Bec & Peanut
:)

[renfrog]

hi kirsty

for me personally, i think you should wait until he is old enough to decide for himself, im not sure if we as parents have the right to make such a decision for them. with no real medical reason for it it seems unnecessary. i know some women think they should get it done because there partner has it and they want it for there son but i dont think that is a valid reason for an unessiential medical procedure.

but in the end the choice is yours as long as you look at all the facts for and against and make a decision that you are comfortable with it doesnt really matter what other people think. but i think its great that you are not going into this blindly. good luck

[OopsieDaisy]

Well I don't have a son (yet) but if we ever do I really do not know what to do about circumcision. I have been told that these days they apply a ring around the penis and after a few days it drops off, like the umbilical corb.. is this true?

My partner is done and he says he wants his son done too, but part of me thinks otherwise...

It must be a hard choice to make...

[serendipity22]

Hi,

the analogy with the umbilically cord dropping off is somewhat misleading.
I read a whole article on this somewhere, I'll post the url if I can find it.

I think we are all grown up here, and are capable of exploring an issue without worrying about having made a mistake. If you have made a mistake, so what?
You did what thought was best on the time based on information you had on the
time. Blaming yourself is irrelevant.

The real mistake is to never admit you may have made a mistake, that way you will never learn anything. If you rationalize you will not learn anything.

As for babies falling asleep during the procedure, this appears to be because
they black out from the pain.

If was considering it for my child, I would research it properly on the net.
A good site is circumstitions.

Bye for now

[Xandersmum]

I wasn't even given the option of having Xander circumcised when I had him...they said that they don't do it anymore, unless it's for religious reasons. I wasn't planning on having him done anyway.

[serendipity22]

Xandersmum

You are right they (usually)don't do it any more. The official AAP line is its unnecessary.

Its actually quite harmful.

Unfortunately, a few unethical doctors still promote it using outdated and
rejected claims.

[Ethansmum]

I agree that it's your choice but I had my son done and have never regretted it. His 5 year old cousin just had to be done because they couldn't get the skin pulled down. He had numerous infections before it was done and not one since. The best doctor in Brisbane to go to is Dr Melissa Cahill. Doctors Grand Plaza. She has only recently changed her name from Telford to Cahill. Melissa uses the Plasti bell which I believe is the most humane way to do it. It's absoloutely painless for your little man. If you want some advice or just want to talk you can email me at
becvollmer@yahoo.com.au

[serendipity22]

... because they couldn't get the skin pulled down. He had numerous infections before it was done and not one since.

I have heard the foreskin should not be forcibly retracted, and doing so can be a cause of injection. Sometimes it doesn't retract naturally till puberty. Unfortunately this might not be that well known.

[willsmum]

Sorry Ethansmum, I wasn't going to pick on anyone here, but how can you possibly say that it is "absolutely painless for your little man". Have you ever had a cut of any sort? Did it hurt? Can you imagine pouring something like urine onto an open wound? It may have been painless at the time of the incision but I would bet anything that it wasn't painless afterwards.

And drbenroth, I don't know who you are or where you come from, but that was a doozy of a first post. Welcome to the site! It's nice to have someone (especially a man) who isn't afraid of saying what they think (which I happen to agree with by the way on this issue).

[talon]

jelly wrote:

Now we chose to have him done because it would reduce the chance of UTI's, not necessarily stop them, but reduce it considerably. I guess I won't know whether that has prevented them, or whether had we done it earlier, whether it would have prevented the one at 14weeks, I will never know, but I do know that it was a tough decision to make, and not one we made lightly. But potentially his life was a stake.

My child is currently 4 months old and got a UTI at 11 weeks of age. This one was cleared up with Amoxil. A week and a half later he contracted another UTI and we are still trying to clear this one up. He is resistant to Amoxil now and Bactrim didn't work either, so now he is on Augmentin. My GP referred us to a paedeatric urologist in Townsville and apparently the only one in north queensland we can see. I wish I had the option of getting a couple of different opinions from other specialists on our options though to make sure I am covering all bases in making a decision.

The doctor checked DB out and said that he has a tight foreskin but it would not be considered abnormal. My GP also checked him out before this and said the same thing. My GP also said that they might be able to do a procedure where they try and widen the opening of the foreskin. I asked the doctor about this and he did not seem very keen - did not explain why though.

He is sending DB for an xray where they put in a catheter and flush fluid upwards to check for reflux. If reflux isn't the problem he says he is going to give him a general anesthetic (sp?) and put a camera up there and check for other abnormalities. He says if he has to do this he will circumcise him at the same time.

The doctor says that he uses the bell for children under 6 months old. He says that his foreskin will go red and should drop off in about a weeks time. If the procedure has to be performed after 6 months of age, he will cut it off and stitch it up. I really don't want to gave to put him through that - if it has to be done then the bell sounds slightly better.

The doctor also said that it can reduce the risk of UTI's by up to 90%.

I just wanted to contribute to this thread also as I may have to face a tough decision shortly similiar to jelly's and wanted to find out more about it. I have been reading this thread on circumcision and feel sick in the stomach about having to possibly consider circumcision as an option for my child also. I am of the opinion that if it ain't broke don't "fix" it, but if it is going to threaten my son's life then I don't have an option and will get it done. The last thing I want to do is put my child through any pain but may not have the luxury of this choice.