To ask about circumcision?

[postingherefortraffic]

I didn’t know where to post this- Health? Teenagers? Here for traffic?

Anyway, saw GP today for unrelated issue. Thought I’d ask again about my Pre-teen’s tight foreskin (I’ve asked regularly over the years and kept being told to wait and see). He’s checked it today and is making a referral.

Is full circumcision our only option? GP seems to think so.

We obviously want to explore options.

Thank you.

I think there are options for using steroid cream and/or stretching exercises but I don't know any more than that I'm afraid. Worth doing some reading before you see the surgeons.

Circumcision is RARELY necessary. Stretching exercises and steroid cream are the way to go.

Thank you. When I asked about creams, he said ‘they’d make little difference’ and when I asked about stretching, he said it would shrink back and get tighter 😕

It’s difficult to read up on- it’s not the sort of subject you want to google 😳

I took my 13 yo to see the urology consultant last week about this issue. Expected to be told he would have to be circumcised but instead we were sent away with a tube of steroid cream and told to come back in six months to reassess. The consultant said in most cases circumcision is not necessary so fingers crossed.

Forgot to say that our GP seemed certain that the referral would result in circumcision but the consultant seemed to think otherwise.

@postingherefortraffic @ProjectMoose the creams don't work on their own. They are meant to be used in conjunction with daily stretching exercises (twice).

It also doesn't "shrink back" if you stretch it sufficiently and then for another couple of weeks to make the results permanent.

Great news Moose. Thank you.

DH had this problem as a teen. He was offered a choice between the op and doing some stretching for a while.

He chose the op as he was having serious pain and difficulty by the time he braved telling his mum.

He doesn't regret it, though he did lose sensitivity and found the recovery a little rough - trying not to pop a boner as a teen lad is tricky.

Had the same experience as project.
GP was adamant it would be necessary but consultant disagreed. He said it's actually very rare for the problem not to resolve itself at puberty and the current protocol was not to operate. DS was fine (grown up now)

Why are you reluctant to go for circumcision?

In the States around 80% of men are circumcised. It's easier to keep clean and reduces the risk of infections, including HIV transmission.

@ZoopDragon - Aside from the reduced sensitivity and scarring, it's not difficult to keep it clean with a foreskin. There is NO need to mutilate her son for a condition that can be fixed with a bit of cream and stretching.

Thank you folks. Just told him I’ve been doing some ‘research’ and he was visibly comforted to hear another boy is going through exactly the same thing (moose)- he’s not alone (not that he’s glad someone else is worrying!)

We (including him) don’t want an unnecessary op, loss of sensitivity and being different to his dad/bros I guess.

And circumcision rates has been declining in the US for a few years now as they are becoming more educated about it. It's just not necessary, almost ever.

*Have

OP, this is maybe a bit TMI but by the time DH sought help he was having problems like painful erections, urine and semen getting trapped and taking a while to drain out, not being able to pull the foreskin back at all to clean properly but the consultant was still willing to give stretching a try so I'm sure they'll be willing to think it over with your lad.

I know a young lad (12yrs) going through this at the moment. His mum took him to the GP who sent him to see a consultant. GP told boy and his mum to read up on circumcision as he thought that would be the treatment but the consultant sent boy home with cream and an A4 sheet with stretching exercises on it. The consultant told her that at 12/13 there’s a window to stretch and the op becomes unnecessary. But when boys come in age 15/16 then it’s more likely they will need surgery. The consultant told her that many of these boys have been in pain and discomfort for years but just too mortified to talk to their mum or their GP about the problem.

I’m good friends with the mum and she told me and all our other friends who have younger boys so we can say to them age 10 or so that this is not normal or anything to be ashamed of and if they experience pain or discomfort they must tell us. I think this should be mentioned in the sex Ed they have in Y6.

ZoopDragon, you do know that intact young men are not any less clean or hygienic than circumcised young men.
And I’m sure you also know that the staggering rise in circumcision in the US came about after a campaign spearheaded by a right wing religious zealot trying to eradicate masturbation? Still, it helped sell his cornflakes. More awareness and education on the subject has seen rates of curcumcision fall steadily over the past 20yrs.

Reading with interest as my 17 year old has to see the Urologist in a few weeks.

Sorry OP, my first post was to say your son isn’t alone as I know another lad going through the same issue. So glad he could talk to you. As I say, I think we need more awareness around this so young lads aren’t suffering due to embarrassment.

Have been through this with DH. He had some cream as a child, didn’t work. Had a partial circumcision. 20+ yrs it hasn’t really ever healed, creams didn’t do too much and he ended up for a full circumcision as adult. It was very complicated due to scarring from earlier op and it still really hasn’t healed that well. If he had had a full circumcision at 10-12-14 or so it would have healed properly and not had this issue.

I guess my advice, with 20 yrs hindsight, would be to try the creams for a short period, but absolutely not hesitate in going for a full circumcision if the creams only made a small improvement. Because 20 years on is not the time to go through it. Much much better to get it done now.

Ask the consultant. They would have seen it all. Reassure your son - stretching might do it, he may need an op. It depends on his physicality and age.

Ds2 was circumcised. It isn’t a walk in the park, but it was necessary. Rather an op and discomfort than a lifetime of sexual problems.

Thanks all. It ‘ballooned’ for a while; we noticed this when he was potty training. Was told to keep and eye, (same GP) wanted to see how time changed things. I asked again a few times (the ballooning stopped) and each time he told me to wait til he was older and see if it improves. Today it was, ‘yep, referral to the waterworks doctor’.

We’re very lucky, he’s very open about this sort of thing- not sure our others will be.

Oh god here come the never circumcise crazies. If it’s medically necessary, please don’t stress. Your son can have a great sex life with or without a foreskin, the lack of sensitivity thing is a myth. Sometimes they medically need to go.

It’s also better done and less painful when they are younger- corcumcision as an adult is more painful to get through.