As a parent, we make decisions regarding the health and care of our children all the time. One choice that is increasingly more controversial is whether or not to circumcise baby boys after birth. Some parents regret it, some parents are adamant about not circumcising their sons, and others are looking for tips on how to care for their babies after circumcision. For those of you still weighing the pros and cons of circumcision, here is what experts and fellow parents have to say on the topic.
Why do people get circumcised?
Disadvantages of circumcision
Given that there are some medical benefits to infant circumcision, why do some parents choose against it?
The foreskin has a role in penile health and pleasure
For many parents, the penis in its natural state has a foreskin and thus should stay that way barring some medical need. The foreskin provides four major benefits in penile health:
- Protection
- Sensation
- Provides “glide” during sexual intercourse due to the additional skin
- Provides immune system functionality due to immune cells in its inner mucosal layer
A common question is, "Does circumision affect sexual pleasure?“ Some say yes. "Down the road, the sex will be better because of having all the nerves and all the skin for extension and movement and the protection over the head to keep it sensitive,” homeschooling mom Sabrina Lee told Mom.com.
However, some experts disagree. "If you’re uncircumcised, it’s not likely that sex will feel any better or worse if you pull your foreskin back," Attia Taylor wrote for Planned Parenthood. "Uncircumcised and circumcised penises both work the same way, they just look a little different."
It’s a matter of bodily autonomy
For mom of four Amy H., she and her husbands opted against baby circumcision. “We strongly feel that babies should be respected enough to keep all of their own body parts and to make the choice themselves if they want to be circumcised when they get older,” she told Mom.com.
The procedure is permanent
Other reasons parents choose not to undergo the procedure is because circumcision is permanent and there is no way to completely restore the foreskin.
“It can’t be reversed if my kid wishes it wasn’t done,” added Lee. “My kid can make that decision if they want to be circumcised down the road. Globally, most men are not circumcised. There are no cons to leaving nature as it is, as far as I am concerned.”
