Care of intact, foreskinned boys
Care of intact, foreskinned boys provides parents with basic information on the care of intact boys.
Contents
Discussion
The intact foreskin has protective and immunological functions that work best when the foreskin is left alone.
The preputial mucosa of the foreskin is fused with the glans penis by the synechia in infancy and childhood so the foreskin cannot be retracted. No attempt to retract the foreskin should be made. Forcible retraction is harmful. Wright (1994) advises that the first person to retract the boy’s foreskin should be the boy himself.[1]
Thorvaldsen & Meyhoff (2005) conducted a survey of 4,000 boys in Denmark where most boys are intact. They reported that the mean age of first foreskin retraction is 10.4 years in Denmark.[2] Øster (1968) reported that some boys will not develop retractable foreskin until after puberty.[3]
Behavior of young intact boys
Parents observe that many young, intact boys will pull and tug on their foreskin. Some parents express concern that the boy may be hurting himself, however that is not the case. The boy would not do that if it caused him pain.[4] The foreskin has many Meissner's corpuscles, which are specialized nerves that sense motion and stretching as pleasurable. Such behavior is normal and parents need not be concerned.
Not recommended
Mayo Clinic provides information on the care of foreskinned boys. This advice is not recommended. The language indicates Midwestern prejudice against intact boys, a lack of understanding of the immmunological and protective functions, and lack of current information on development of foreskin retraction.
Video
See also
External links
Wallerstein, Edward: When Your Baby Boy is Not Circumcised (Four-page pamphlet), Pennypress (Seattle). (February 1982). Retrieved 30 May 2021.
Fleiss, Paul M. (March 1989). Care of the intact male
, NOCIRC. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
Quote:Leave the penis of the newborn infant alone.
Simpson ET, Baraclough P. The management of the paediatric foreskin. Aust Fam Physician. 1998; 27(5): 381-3. PMID.- Milos, Marilyn (September 2007).
Answers To Your Questions About Your Young Son's Intact Penis
, NOCIRC. Retrieved 8 December 2019. - Milos, Marilyn (September 2007).
Answers To Your Questions About Premature (Forcible) Retraction of Your Young Son's Foreskin
, NOCIRC. Retrieved 8 December 2019. - (2018).
Intact care guide for parents and caregivers.
, Intact America. Retrieved 29 December 2022. - Care of the Intact (Not Circumcised) Penis in the Young Child
, Doctors Opposing Circumcision (D.O.C.). (July 2016). Retrieved 8 November 2019. -
https:Basic Care (Intact Penis)
, Your Whole Baby. Retrieved 8 December 2019. - (July 2018).
The penis and foreskin
, The Royal Children's Hospital of Melbourne. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
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References
- ↑ Wright JE. Further to the "Further Fate of the Foreskin". Med J Aust. 7 February 1994; 160: 134-135. PMID. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ↑ Thorvaldsen MA, Meyhoff H. Patologisk eller fysiologisk fimose? [Pathological or physiological phimosis?] (Danish). Ugeskr Læger. 2005; 167(17): 1858-1862. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ↑ Øster J. Further fate of the foreskin: incidence of preputial adhesions, phimosis, and smegma among Danish schoolboys. Arch Dis Child. 1 April 1968; 43: 200-3. PMID. PMC. DOI. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ↑ (4 June 2020).
How To Care For Your Child's Foreskin
, KidsHealth of New Zealand. Retrieved 25 January 2023.