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Myth: Babies don't feel pain as much as adults do because some of their nerves have not become myelinated (developed) yet.
Fact: Not only do unmyelinated nerves transmit pain, they actually transmit more pain signals than adult nerves do. Babies do feel pain, especially since they have more unmyelinated nerves than adults have.
Myth: Local anesthetic makes the circumcision painless.
Fact: Injecting the anesthetic into the genital area is painful for the baby. Once the anesthetic has taken effect, the baby's screaming from pain during the surgery is only reduced and by no means eliminated. Because the anesthetic wears off soon, the postoperative pain that lasts for days is just as bad for a baby that had anesthetic than for one that had none.
Myth: The baby's intact penis is harder to keep clean and take care of than a circumcised penis.
Fact: Because of the extra care that one must take in caring for and bathing a circumcision wound that is in the process of healing, and because of the frequent complications such as meatal ulcers that occur in circumcised penises, the intact infant penis is actually much easier to care for. It basically needs no care, no retraction, no nothing.
Myth: There are sound studies proving that circumcisions prevents urinary tract infections (UTIs), cancer, etc.
Fact: Most of the studies supporting circumcision are either outdated or were poorly done and have major methodological flaws. Newer studies have either totally debunked the old studies, or have shown their findings not to be as severe as stated.
Myth: By age five the foreskin should retract on its own.
Fact: The normal, spontaneous, and sometimes gradual full retraction may take up to 17 years to complete. Note: under no circumstances should the infant foreskin be retracted, even in a gentle manner. It is simply not necessary.
Myth: It is difficult to teach a boy to keep his intact penis clean.
Fact: A girl's vagina is far more difficult to keep clean than a boy's intact penis. Boys, like girls, can easily figure out for themselves the details on how to clean their own genitals.
Myth: Male family members will have psychological problems if some have circumcised penises and others have intact penises.
Fact: When England abruptly stopped circumcising most of its population, there were no psychological problems reported about the circumcised fathers and intact sons. Many American families have a mixture of circumcised and intact penises and the family members have no psychological problems.
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Disclaimer: The information on this web site is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding you, or your child. |
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