Benefits of Being Uncircumcised? [Yahoo - Q&A extract]
Question...
I've always heard the battle of circumcised vs uncircumcised. What are the factual pros and cons? I've heard foreskin feels better but I've also heard it carries some nasty bacteria when not taken care of properly!
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Best Answer...
'Nasty bacteria'? [LOL]
Let's put it this way: they aren't the most well-read residents of the interwebs.
As for the pros and cons, I can't tell you any benefits of circumcision - I really don't believe there's any solid basis for believing it's beneficial.
I do have a list of reasons to stay intact...
Circumcision (loss of the foreskin) makes the following changes:-
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Neonatal circumcision is often done with inadequate pain relief. The child is subjected to intense pain for up to 15 minutes.
This pain may leave a child with post-traumatic stress disorder, which is debilitating even for adults who can receive therapy for it.
For a baby, it could lead to all sorts of hidden but significant psychological problems in later life.
Life Threatening.
About 500 babies per year die from complications of circumcision - usually from blood loss, infection or anaesthetic problems.
Sensitivity Loss.
When the foreskin is removed half the penile sensitivity is instantly lost, BUT at the same time the glans is exposed, making it SEEM more sensitive.
After that, the glans keratinizes, making it very slowly get less sensitive - so slowly that it's hard to notice a difference.
This is not 'healing' - it will feel better, but only because it's being so badly damaged that the nerves are being deadened. In the end, there's a big difference (up to 75% sensitivity loss).
Nerve endings don't grow back, and a penis that has lost so many cannot possibly feel as sensitive as it did before.
But like the proverbial frog cooking slowly on a hotplate and not noticing the difference in heat, a man who gets a circumcision might think that his penis feels the same, but he just doesn't notice the difference because the process takes so long.
Failure to Heal.
A circumcised penis can never 'heal completely'. The penis has been permanently damaged.
Size.
After neonatal or childhood circumcision, it's believed that the growth of the penis is retarded, causing the adult penis to be smaller than it would have been if the foreskin had been left intact.
Further Damage.
After the glans is exposed, the 'pearly penile papules' around the corona (rim of the glans) tend to disappear. These structures are poorly understood, but may increase sexual pleasure for either the male or the female.
Loss of Function.
The foreskin is an entire mechanism, including skin, muscle, mucous membrane and supporting structures.
Cutting it off is not only excruciatingly painful, but it cripples the penis, destroying a large part of it, including the penis's only moving part, making the whole organ incapable of ever functioning the way nature intended and making sexual intercourse that much more difficult.
Difficulty Entering the Vagina.
A circumcised penis has no foreskin to help the man enter a woman's vagina. When used correctly, the foreskin is pushed forward to facilitate comfortable entry - it unfolds as the penis pushes into the vagina.
A man who has no foreskin cannot do this, so he must use lubricant.
Need For More Lubrication.
With the foreskin gone, a couple needs to use lubrication during sex to keep the vagina moist.
An uncircumcised man needs none - his foreskin forms a seal with the vaginal wall, reducing the need for lubrication and keeping the vaginal fluids where they belong.
Increased Risk of Infection.
A circumcised penis is more likely to get infected than an intact penis.
Erectile Dysfunction.
Those who have been circumcised suffer from sexual problems throughout the rest of their lives: they more easily develop erectile dysfunction as they get older.
Some unfortunate victims find the loss of sensitivity so severe that they cannot orgasm even at a young age.
No Advantage in Terms of Cleanliness.
Many people have been led to believe that circumcision is cleaner. But a circumcised penis is no cleaner than an intact penis. Both need to be gently rinsed clean while showering.
Circumcision is a Woman's Problem Too.
The circumcised penis usually gives less pleasure to the woman because the foreskin that gives the uncircumcised penis its gliding motion is no longer there.
As a result of this, and as a result of the loss of sensitivity involved in a circumcised penis, the man has to push harder and more roughly to get the same feeling that an uncircumcised penis would give.
All this, combined with the roughness and dryness of the keratinized glans, results in a less comfortable and less pleasurable experience for the woman. The circumcised penis can cause chafing and discomfort that may lead to vaginal infection.
The foreskin is designed to prevent these problems. Many female partners of circumcised males have been led to assume that feminine dryness is a common female ailment when in fact it's a male problem caused by the loss of the foreskin.
The Mutilation of the Father Revisited On the Son.
The thought of permanent loss of sensory function is so painful that men who have been circumcised often deny their loss in order to avoid facing the painful feelings.
Circumcised males may experience a wide range of emotional dysfunction resulting from loss.
This frequently results in circumcised fathers adamantly insisting that a son be circumcised and circumcised doctors recommending that their male patients be circumcised.
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