re: Circumcision?

I belong to a circumcision support group on another forum, and I found this post in the group really helpful:

Right now there is a lot of opposition to circumcision even though evidence in favor of circumcision has never been stronger and the procedure has never been safer.

I've noticed a lot of people argue that it should be the boy's choice when he is older, and that should be his decision alone. To me that is like saying children should only be vaccinated when they become adults as it should be there choice to get vaccinated for meningitis, measles, mumps....and other childhood disease. But then most of the effectiveness of the vaccine would have been lost as they would have gotten sick when they were younger.

All the research is coming out showing that most of the benefit to circumcision is if boys are circumcised before they become sexually active, and preferably in infancy.

As a male gets older, circumcising becomes more dangerous and the risk of bleeding increases significantly. The safest time to circumcise your son is within the first month after birth. During this period of time, complications are estimated at 3/1,000 the vast majority of which are minor, such as minor bleeding or infection. Because the foreskin is not yet fully develop in infancy, no stitches are required and the risk of bleeding is minor, and the risk of infection is significantly reduced because healing occurs so quickly. Also it allows the doctors to use non-surgical methods of circumcision such as the plastibell, where like the umbilical cord, the circulation to the foreskin is tied off rather than cut.

In children the risk of Urinary Track Infections UTI's is greatest in the first few years of life. UTI's can lead to serious kidney illness, including kidney failure and death. Uncircumcised boys are at a 10 times higher risk of developing UTI's. Less importantly, circumcision enhances individual hygiene, eliminating the risk of phimosis (tight/painful foreskin), paraphimosis (foreskin trapped behind the head of the penis, that can lead to the loss of the penis), and yeast and other bacterial infections(that can lead to scarring and infertility).

Circumcision has been found to reduce the risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections by 50% in general, and HIV specifically by 60% to 75% depending on the study. This is because of two main reasons: 1) the inner skin of the foreskin is thin and tears easily during sex, allowing viruses and bacteria to enter; 2) after intercourse, the foreskin acts like a pouch protecting the viruses and bacteria that may have been acquired during sex giving them the chance to continue living under the foreskin until they can enter the body.

The higher cancer rates in uncircumcised males and there partners is also believed to be linked to higher rates of STI's and other infections. Circumcision has been found to virtually eliminate penile cancer, reduces the risk of prostate cancer by 15% (particularly the aggressive forms), and if your partner is circumcised, your risk of cervical cancer is reduced by 1/3.

Interestingly, I have yet to find a study that shows any down sides to circumcision. However, there are studies that show that circumcised men have LESS sexual dysfunction and there are other studies that show that circumcised men show not loss in sensitivity. There is no evidence that circumcision has any negative affects on the penis.

P.S. Just to give you an idea about the health effects in terms of numbers that circumcising has on males (sorry it is excessive, but better too much info than too little...and it shows that info is backed up with real studies):

(This is an excerpt another persons post, here is the original link:
http://babybump.alt12.com/community/groups/91-raves-and-rants/posts/885364-offering-a-different-point-of-view)

By: MrsClaxton
Member since Apr 26, 2011
Posted: Nov 27, 2011
Disclaimer: What you do with your sons penis is 100% your choice. I do not care. I am sick of seeing one sided scare tactic posts that always say the same damn thing. So yes I am making a post about circumcision but i'm attempting to shed some light on the alternate side of the normal argument. Again, i'm not shoving my beliefs down your throat because I do not care about your sons penis. Just proving a point.

Think: If all 2,000,000 boys born in the USA annually were circumcised, the following would be prevented during their lifetimes:

7,000 cases of HIV.
10,000 cases of Syphilis.
20,000 Epsiodes of Pyelonephritis: 2,000 with Concurrent Bacteremia, 1,500 Cases of Hypertension, 150 Cases of End Stage Renal Disease.
2,000 Cases of Penile Cancer.
50,000 Cases of Prostate Cancer.
200,000 Cases of Phimosis.
250,000-500,000 Cases of Blanoposthitis.

P.S. P.S. For those that are truly curious, here are some supporting links for what I have written above:

general health:

http://www.planningfamily.com/newborn/circumcision/should-my-baby-boy-be-circumcised/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2422990/
http://www.circinfo.com/parents_guide/gfp.html
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/760950
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xea1mr_baby-circumcision-advice_lifestyle
http://www.ourmidland.com/accent/article_10558d6b-0201-5132-a9da-d542729a9f77.html

STD's

http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/56849737
http://www.physorg.com/news86339340.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15593753/

Sexual effects/sensitivity

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BG4AM20091217
http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/news/?ItemID=26068
http://discusshiv.com/tag/orgasm/
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/07/27/circumcision-sensation.html

Prostate Cancer:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2113767/Circumcision-lowers-risk-prostate-cancer.html

Cervical Cancer:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/fishman/2006/circumcision.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1141513

trends:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44777003/
http://www.jurology.com/article/PIIS0022534705604193/abstract
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/12/23/circumcision-rates-too-low.html
Even the World Health Organization is recommending it now:
http://www.who.int/hiv/mediacentre/news68/en/index.html
http://www.who.int/entity/hiv/mediacentre/MCrecommendations_en.pdf
As well as the CDC:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32537110#32537110

Quoting Winter Mom:" I belong to a circumcision support group on another forum, and I found this post in the group really ... [snip!] ... As well as the CDC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32537110#32537110"

can i be added to this group please

Quoting Winter Mom:" I belong to a circumcision support group on another forum, and I found this post in the group really ... [snip!] ... As well as the CDC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32537110#32537110"

You posted way to many things to point out all the flaws, since the OP is leaning more towards keeping her child whole I don't feel it necessary to address them.I just wanted to say your response is in fact flawed.

Quoting PhukinA!:" You posted way to many things to point out all the flaws, since the OP is leaning more towards keeping ... [snip!] ... towards keeping her child whole I don't feel it necessary to address them.I just wanted to say your response is in fact flawed."

Exactly what I was thinking. Especially in the first few lines. If there is more research pointing to the benefits of circumcision, why is it that just in the past few years both Canadian and American health boards have started NOT supporting it being done?

Quoting Mommy of a giggler!:" Exactly what I was thinking. Especially in the first few lines. If there is more research pointing to ... [snip!] ... why is it that just in the past few years both Canadian and American health boards have started NOT supporting it being done?

For me, I asked myself this one question: would I do it to myself?
I posted on here asking about a website about information on both sides of this argument about a year ago. When I asked a friend about it, she told me that all the research is flawed for STDs. They go to some place like Africa where they don't even know about STDs, educate a group of circumcised young men and have a group of uneducated young men. Who do you think will have STDs? The group that was educated about it or the group that doesn't even know such a thing exists?
Go to http://www.drmomma.org/2010/05/death-from-circumcision.html
http://www.nocirc.org/
Especially go to http://circumcisiondecisionmaker.com/

Quoting Winter Mom:" I belong to a circumcision support group on another forum, and I found this post in the group really ... [snip!] ... As well as the CDC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32537110#32537110"

I'm to lazy to go through and refute every incorrect bit of information you posted. It would take way to long since pretty much everything you posted is incorrect. Let's just say that you really need to research it yourself instead of just listening to any idiot who puts up a post online with misinformation.

Quoting PhukinA!:" You posted way to many things to point out all the flaws, since the OP is leaning more towards keeping ... [snip!] ... towards keeping her child whole I don't feel it necessary to address them.I just wanted to say your response is in fact flawed."

I totally agree.

Quoting Jonathan's Mom + 1:" For me, I asked myself this one question: would I do it to myself? I posted on here asking about a website ... [snip!] ... http://www.nocirc.org/ Especially go to http://circumcisiondecisionmaker.com/ "

exactly.