News, stories, and information about making the circumcision decision for your baby. Cut through the myths and learn why foreskin is normal and healthy. Read experiences from parents just like you and become your child's No. 1 advocate!
One of the most difficult parts of being circumcised is the mental and emotional damage. Though it won’t be easy, you need to tell your son the truth. You need to tell him what happened to his body, you need to explain everything to him, and you need to be supportive.
Read MoreI couldn't sleep that night because I knew what was coming. When they came in to take him to be circumcised, I signed the form with my heart literally aching in my chest. My newborn son was wheeled away and I began to panic. I remember sobbing and telling my husband, "I want him back. He’s perfect…”
Read MoreI watched the procedure in horror, and have never let another person make decisions for my children other than me. Everyday I think of the pain he suffered. Now I hold my perfect and intact baby boy desperately wishing I could make it all better with my oldest son.
Read MoreI am writing to you on behalf of my 3-year-old son. He has always been a blessing to my husband and me. Since the day we found out he was coming, we were ecstatic to be welcoming another addition to our family. He was born PERFECT on Aug. 19, 2012. The reason I am writing to you is because on Aug. 20, my perfect baby boy was taken from my hospital room, strapped down, and mutilated surgically for NO REASON at all other than the pure ignorance of our society. I was misinformed on the “benefits” of circumcision and was not fully informed of the risks of this unnecessary procedure.
Read MoreHi Mom and Dad! It’s your 21-year-old son! The son you lovingly cared for as he grew out of infancy, watching him gain independence, make mature decisions, and turn into the handsome man you see when you close your eyes and picture him smiling. And finally, now, the son you are ready to let go of in a broader sense...poised to make my big transition into the adult world, where from now on I am fully the product of my own decisions.
As parents you have always wanted to protect me the very best you could: yearly physicals, six-month dental checkups, eye exams... It seems as if our culture has the general instruction manual laid out for you. One culturally taboo part of this American parenting manual, though, is flawed and outdated.
When I was born, it seemed as if you had a decision to make: whether to circumcise me or not.
Read MoreThe United States needs to protect the rights and decisions of the individual and not allow parents to treat children as objects. Cutting healthy body parts off is not parenting, and it’s not medicine — it’s mutilation. There is no reason not to wait and let children decide what they want when they have matured. Most of the rest of the world understands and respects children’s right to a natural and whole body. Why is it so hard for the U.S. to understand that?
Read MoreWhen they handed him to me after circumcision, my heart dropped. He didn't have the same sweet expression on his face anymore. No, now he was red, he looked exhausted and sad. What did I do to him? I tried to nurse him, but he couldn't. He had fought too hard. So I went to change his tiny newborn diaper for the very first time and nothing could have ever prepared me for what followed.
Read MoreI was very sad to see he didn't have his foreskin, which is absolutely the best part! I had no idea how I could please him. It was too difficult without the foreskin, and I kept thinking his penis felt incomplete. He was so rough that it almost hurt. I guess the roughness was due to the fact that he had lost so much sensitivity. Each time we had sex this happened. With intact partners, I have never experienced pain during sex. I did not want to have sex with him anymore, and eventually I did not want to see him anymore. I knew I couldn't be in a relationship like this.
Read MoreA profound sense of loss will always be with me. I consider my circumcision fully responsible for causing my anxiety disorder…My loss of sensitivity after age 40 is an emphatic fact that cannot be argued. I still think I got off lucky compared to those who had even more penile skin taken, or worse. Some lose the whole body part. Some get infected. Some infants die from this cosmetic procedure.
Read MoreShould I circumcise after birthing at home? You’ve spent time learning about unnecessary birth interventions like episiotomies, premature cord clamping, and immediate bathing; avoiding risks associated with these practices is high on your list for protecting your and your baby’s physical and emotional safety. Learn how circumcising fits in, or doesn’t, when you’re planning your birth outside the hospital.
Read MoreI was intact for the first 15 years of my life, during two of which I was sexually active. I used to have so much sensation, performing four to five times a day. At 17 years old, just a couple of years after being circumcised*, it lessened to once a day. Then, at 20, I started having trouble getting or sustaining an erection. I was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. It wasn't until I had my second son in my late 20s that I started to look into the effects of circumcision and began to realize why I was having so many issues. Around age 30, I decided to give restoration a try.
Read MoreI took my newborn in for a nose job . . . and his pediatrician flipped out on me. Can you believe it?!
I told her that his nose looked different than my husband’s, and I’d like them to look the same. This should avoid any awkward questions when he’s older. The doc looked at me like I was insane and told me that was no reason to perform elective surgery on a neonate.
I told her that the girls would probably like him better when he started dating if he had a nose job…
Read MoreThe first thing I said to my husband was, “If it is a boy I don’t want him circumcised and if it is a girl she can’t get her ears pierced until she asks for them after she starts elementary school.” My husband was fine with the ear piercing but thought if we had a son he should be circumcised. His reasoning was primarily that since he was, so should his son be, and because he felt his son would get made fun of if he stayed whole.
Read MoreWe don’t have many circumcised people, maybe 1 or 2 percent, and mostly for medical reasons. No partner has ever turned me down for sex due to the appearance of my genitals.
Reading about circumcised genitals made me understand that I was quite lucky with my sexual life. I totally don’t need lubricant. It’s optional; if I want I can use it, but there’s little difference for me. I never keep any lube on hand because is not something I need. If I ever have a son I would never consider circumcision . . .
Read MoreWe believe, if you have the information necessary to see circumcision in a new light, free from cultural blinders, you will not choose it for your son. Your protective instincts will scream NO as far as the ear can hear.
Gently providing education on care of the intact penis, functions of the foreskin, and the lifelong harms of circumcision in an effort to end infant genital cutting.
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The information provided on this website is for information and research purposes. It should not be substituted for medical care. For healthcare, seek a qualified medical professional who is knowledgeable on the benefits of a whole body and intact care and who knows the harms involved in circumcision and forced retraction. Visit the Choosing a Pediatrician page for assistance in picking a doctor who is right for your family.
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