Out of curiosity, were you even told about the alternative methods during consultancy?
Thoughts on circumcision?
- Thread starter Ziggy
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Out of curiosity, were you even told about the alternative methods during consultancy?
Standard female circumcision is not the same as infibulation.
A foreskin is not just skin.
So you're wrong both ways.
Same situation for me, and same result
Had it done when I was a little baby for some medical reason or another and I have never had a cause to complain, neither have the ladies
bang on!
Just diving in slightly late here, I had it done in my mid teens, 8 or so years ago now, phimosis. I was told of alternative methods, and tried both cream and a less "extreme" operation beforehand, though neither helped at all, so I went for it. Whatever comments there are about sensation being lost, I was far happier afterwards when the sensation was something other than discomfort
Not that I can remember. It was pretty much a "this works best" from the doctor who was going to do the surgery.
What alternatives do you know of?
Female circumcision ranges from cutting part of the labia off (more common) to the extreme mutilation you referred to (less common and strictly speaking called infibulation rather than circumcision, but commonly used for shock value to raise anger against all of it).
Male circumsion involves cutting off flesh, blood vessels, nerves, i.e. not just skin.
So the two are not as vastly different as you said they were - you were over-stating female circumcision and under-stating male circumcision. The less mutilating (and more common) form of female circumcision isn't that much different to male circumcision.
There are also risks involved. One case is mildly famous purely because it was the first sex change on a previously healthy infant. He was circumcised, it went wrong, he was neutered by the circumcision, they made him female. Nice and neat, problem solved...as long as no-one cared to follow up and see what happened to him. Look up John/Joan.
Personally, I'm opposed to cutting any bits off any infant's genitals just because you want to.
You don't have to be Jewish or Islamic to have it done.
It is also done for medical reasons.
Mutilation is a very strong word, and you can't compare having your foreskin removed for medical reasons to having your arm amputated...
Don't worry about it. Just remember that some ~ 90% of American men are circumcised and something like 12-16% of young men in the UK. It's a safe and widely used practice.
If it really did make it "very insensitive" then there would be many studies showing proof of it and it wouldn't be anywhere near as common as it is.
Unfortunately you'll hear a lot of myths that probably started in a school playground which people actually believe for the rest of their lives.
If you listen to most people who have had it done (including your dad), you'll realize that it's nowhere near as bad as some people make it out to be.
You only need to read all the comments by circumcised people in this very thread to realize that it doesn't seriously effect the sensitivity.
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If it ain't broke don't fix it, I know that it's required for medical reasons sometimes and thats completely fine but in general I tend to not agree with it.
Just diving in slightly late here, I had it done in my mid teens, 8 or so years ago now, phimosis. I was told of alternative methods, and tried both cream and a less "extreme" operation beforehand, though neither helped at all, so I went for it. Whatever comments there are about sensation being lost, I was far happier afterwards when the sensation was something other than discomfort
Thats pretty interesting as most of the studies I have read on the subject indicated steroidal cream worked in almost all cases. At the end of the day it is only skin, steroidal cream helps stretching it by thinning. If those African tribeswoman can stretch their lips to such extremes I do not see why it would not apply anywhere else on the body!
Rossmac said:
There are 2 surgical procedures, a dorsal slit and a limited dorsal slit, both of which aim to release the tight "ring" that tends to cause phimosis without removing the foreskin. I will not link the pages as they will contain "non-family friendly" images but just goggle phimosis and you will find lots of information.
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I don't believe any of these hygeiene benefits at all, most people have a shower every day so it offers no benefit, with that logic should we all shave our hair so we don't have to wash and comb it? some people choose to do this but if your mother was given you the choice to make you bald for life just so you didn't have to wash it would that be ok?????
Yes we have other parts that surve no real purpose like appendix an tonsils but we only remove them when it goes wrong, not when a child is born just incase.
It is a barbaric act that shouldn't be forced on anyone, it is only because it is so common in the USA that it is accepted. If we started practising female circumcision I can't see that being accepted or forced on women.
Yes many female circumcisions take place in Africa and many are very very horrible and not comparible to this but some are similar in that just the skin around is cut off. Yet it isn't going to take off anywhere because it is freaking stupid just like this tradition.
I have nothing against people who have been mutilated, it isn't their fault or for medical reasons it is fair enough but anyone who does this to their son for a bit of fun should be locked up imo. I found being forced to church every sunday bad enough and will make sure my kids are given the choice when it comes to religion, if you chop parts of them off that isn't giving them the option is it really.
Yes we have other parts that surve no real purpose like appendix an tonsils but we only remove them when it goes wrong, not when a child is born just incase.
It is a barbaric act that shouldn't be forced on anyone, it is only because it is so common in the USA that it is accepted. If we started practising female circumcision I can't see that being accepted or forced on women.
Yes many female circumcisions take place in Africa and many are very very horrible and not comparible to this but some are similar in that just the skin around is cut off. Yet it isn't going to take off anywhere because it is freaking stupid just like this tradition.
I have nothing against people who have been mutilated, it isn't their fault or for medical reasons it is fair enough but anyone who does this to their son for a bit of fun should be locked up imo. I found being forced to church every sunday bad enough and will make sure my kids are given the choice when it comes to religion, if you chop parts of them off that isn't giving them the option is it really.
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Infibulation is sewing up a woman's genitals so they can't have sex, not female circumcision. Female circumcision does usually involve removal of the clitoris and labia so the woman has much less pleasure/no pleasure/pain during sex, as well as many complications.
Please inform yourself about the subject before comparing it so cheerfully with male circumcision
I did, which is why I know about it.
If you look at talk about female circumcision, you will find infibulation described as female circumcision, not as a different thing.
The most common form of female circumcision is sunna circumcision, which does not include removal of the clitoris. This has some connection to Islam, because one hadith has Mohammed urging a woman who mutilates girls to cut less. I interpret that as Mohammed being against the practice but not being powerful enough to stop it, and therefore that Islam should be against it, but some Muslims interpret it differently.
Female circumcision is often split into 3 categories:
i) Sunna.
ii) Excision (more medically, clitorodectomy).
iii) Infibulation.
Now that you know that, please re-read my posts. You might like to bear in mind that I have repeatedly stated my objection to people cutting parts of children's genitals off just because they want to.
erm, what the hell are you on