Cut or Uncut?
Another topic concerning male anatomy has been on my mind and I wanted to open a discussion about it.
The topic is circumcision. I have no idea what the medical/health reasons are for doing it or not doing it, and I’ve heard arguments from both sides.
Personally, I like the look of a circumcised penis. It’s more…exposed, if that makes sense, and that makes it sexy. I would like my future husband to be cut, though it’s not a requirement.
I need some education here and I’d love to get the perspective from my brothers here on MH.
Additional thoughts from MH:
This is a tricky subject. There are lots of factors that come into play: theological, biblical, medical, parental, sexual, and more. All of these aspects are valuable to discuss, and should be carefully discussed when dealing with a practice that permanently alters the human body that God designed. However, because of the potential for strong and opposing opinions, we ask that the focus of this post be kept to the impact of circumcision on marital sex, and each spouse’s personal experiences—the men’s especially, but also the women’s. (For that reason, we’ve narrowed the scope of some of the questions listed in this post. Sorry, LLL, if that results in a narrower set of responses than you were hoping for.)
I come from families of nudists going back several generations. From birth my parents took my sister and I to their nudist club, so we saw naked people of all ages, shapes and sizes. In my early teens I noticed I liked the look of a circumcised male more. Like you wrote they looked nicer when totally exposed.
When I met my hubby he agreed to join us at the club even though he was not a nudist yet. He is cut and his penis looks wonderful. We did not have sex till we were married and I loved masturbating my clit with his swollen head. With his head exposed I could feel it powerfully enter me with his erect shaft.
In college I dated a few boys who were uncut, but I didn't have sex with them, so its tough to compare. I just love it in my hand, my mouth and my vagina when when its fully swollen.
I honestly don't think it makes much difference in sex. I have read where some women like to give oral sex to a circumsized penis more though.
I am not cut, I was one of only one or two kids at my school I saw in the shower after sports that had foreskin. I felt weird because I was different. In my 40's, I asked a urologist about getting cut and he adviced I might want that skin when I got older due to nerves that are lost.
However, some men when they get older get scar tissue, especially diabetics, and it needs to be done then. I know a guy that got circumsized about age 65, he said he was very sore for two weeks and took several weeks to heal up.
My opinion, no circumsicions should be done routinely on baby boys, let them decide when they are grown.
I have some VERY strong views against circumcision, on basically every ground: sexual, biblical, moral, medical—everything. I'm generally of the opinion that we shouldn't cut parts off of—or out of—the human body unless we have a very compelling reason, and I don't see such a reason for circumcision in any category of discussion.
However, due to the understandable limiting of the scope to the effects of circumcision on married sex, since that's MH's focus, I'll refrain from making my many arguments against the practice on biblical, moral and medical grounds, even though there are strong cases in each of those categories.
But I will speak from my perspective as a man who was circumcised at birth and is very unhappy with that.
I was circumcised as a baby, and discovering what that meant has been the single most traumatic process of my life so far. It's been 3-4 years since that painful discovery, and I'm only recently getting to the point where I'm (mostly) past the near-panic attacks I'd have when I thought about it. I'm a very emotionally stable person overall, but working through the trauma of having a very special part of my body taken without my consent is the worst thing I have ever felt in my life. Only in the last year or so have I been able to think and write about these emotions without verging on a panic attack, and even now I get an uneasy, uncomfortable tension and shakiness when I focus on it too long.
I've felt like I'm broken. I've felt like I'm not whole. I've felt emasculated. I've felt like less of a man, because quite literally, an important part of my manhood is missing. In a certain sense, I've felt like I'm not as fully human as I should be—having some of my natural human capacity stolen away.
I've felt deeply, irreparably violated. I've felt helpless. I've felt humiliated. I've felt less sexually valuable, less sexually capable. I've felt like a less qualified potential mate. I've felt like I won't have as much to offer my future wife. I've felt like I'll have to work harder to pleasure my future wife, and receive pleasure from her, because my primary sexual organ has been damaged. I've felt like neither me not my future wife will ever experience sex in quite the way God designed it to be because a part of me was taken.
Now, does circumcision completely ruin sex? No, not most of the time. But it absolutely affects it, and negatively so. Each circumcision is different, so each man is affected differently, some more significantly than others. Personally, I lost less than I could have, and I'm so grateful for how much of my manhood was preserved. And yet it's still bad enough that I would pay an exorbitant cost to be healed of this permanent injury that was inflicted on me in such an intimate place. I'm attempting a process of "foreskin restoration," which involves slowly stretching and growing new skin to re-cover the glans, but even the best restoration results are only partial. With LOTS of time, effort and complications, I can recover some glans sensitivity and some of the mechanical benefits for intercourse, but the sexual nerve endings in much of my foreskin and frenulum are gone permanently. I shouldn't need to put in hundreds of hours of effort to have only 70% of what God created me with.
But you may wonder, why do I feel so strong about this? Most circumcised men don't feel as strongly about this as I do. But I think most men simply don't understand the extent of what was done to them. How could they? It's not taught about hardly at all (widespread ignorance is the primary reason this practice continues), and most men are circumcised at birth, so they don't have any chance to know any different.
So what IS different?
The foreskin contains many sexually-sensitive nerve endings—a very high percentage of the sexually-sensitive nerves in the penis—and they are completely destroyed by circumcision, as it's practiced in the US in modern times. Contrary to cultural myths, circumcision isn't "just a little snip." It removes roughly a third to HALF the surface area of the penis! The procedure also damages or completely removes the frenulum, which is the very sensitive and pleasurable spot on the underside of the glans. The glans itself loses a lot of its sensitivity too. This happens partly because, in an infant circumcision, the foreskin is forcible separated from the glans, which are naturally fused together at birth. Regardless of when circumcision happens in life, the glans also loses sensitivity because it's meant to be covered by the foreskin, and when it remains exposed for years and years, it undergoes a process called keratinization. This is similar to growing calluses on other parts of the body. It's the body's natural response to prevent the once highly-sensitive glans, now uncovered by an unnatural intervention, from being constantly, painfully overstimulated by rubbing against diapers and underwear.
I know these negative effects from personal experience. My glans barely has any sensation at all, most of the time. With some moisturizing lubricant like coconut oil and a careful technique, I can get some nice sensations out of it, but it's not as sensitive to fine touch as it's meant to be. It has a dull, matte appearance, whereas a normal glans is supposed to look moist, soft and shiny when revealed from under its natural, God-designed covering.
I can also tell the stark difference in my missing foreskin nerves. The remnant of my inner foreskin—the smooth skin directly under the ridge of my glans—is the most sensitive and pleasurable place on my penis, concentrated most on the remnant of my frenulum. Thank God at least part of that survived! My circumcision scar runs right through that inner foreskin and frenulum remnant. Above that line, next to the glans, things feel wonderful. Below it, it just feels like normal, non-sexual skin. It horrifies me that the extent of my sexual sensation has been literally cut short like that. I don't even know the full extent of how far it was SUPPOSED to go.
Circumcision negatively impacts the mechanics of intercourse too. The sheath structure of the foreskin helps to create a smooth, gliding motion while thrusting. It makes the penile shaft glide against the foreskin, while the foreskin itself stays largely stationary in contact with the vaginal walls, meaning there is less potential for painful friction. There are also more subtle effects that enhance pleasure that are difficult to explain. All of these functions are severely damaged or destroyed by circumcision. (It's almost like God designed male anatomy a certain way for a reason, and things go wrong when humans think they know better than God and alter that design!) Thankfully I have enough slack skin to create a little bit of this motion when thrusting, as I've learned through masturbation. But it won't be fully functional, at least until I can hopefully improve it through the very slow foreskin restoration process I'm doing.
Of course, all this negativity about circumcision brings up a question: if circumcision is so bad, why did God command it for Israel?
It's tricky to explain this part without straying into biblical debate, but I'll keep the tone brief and explanatory rather than extensive and argumentative. First, keep in mind that we as Christians under the new covenant are never commanded or even encouraged to practice circumcision in the New Testament. But for Old Covenant Israel, there are some historical sources that indicate that the horrible procedure practiced today is a man-made mutation and gross over-extension of what God ordained for Israel. I've had trouble nailing down the sources, but from what I've read, the form of circumcision given by God to Abraham and Israel originally left the glans covered, which means very, very little of the foreskin was removed, and all sexual functions were left intact. After all, it was only intended to be a symbol, not a true alteration to the human body. Around the first century AD, the practice was expanded WITHOUT authorization from God, and began to completely uncover the glans, for the purpose of making it impossible to reverse the procedure to hide one's Jewishness, as sometimes happened in a Hebrew-hating world. So as usual, it is not God who did anything wrong, but sinful men who took something ordained by God and twisted it in a horrible way to make something evil.
While I'm refraining from making my full case against circumcision, involving complete theological, biblical, moral and medical arguments, I think my standpoint is pretty clear. It is based on extensive research and first-hand experience, not just uninformed emotionalism. Please consider this carefully before accepting something barbaric just because it's "normal."
I don't have time to write more, but hopefully I can link to some resources soon so that people can become more informed and understand the truth about this and combat the insidious cultural myths that perpetuate this awful tragedy.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I had no idea about the effects of circumcision. I'm so sorry that you went through that pain and trauma and terrible feelings. Please know that any woman with true love in her heart for you would NOT see you as less masculine or less of a man or lover. I'm so glad there is a route to at least partial restoration of that part of your body. I'll definitely be doing my research on this topic.
Obviously I'm in the minority here, having such a negative experience and understanding of the issue, but I'm glad to provide another perspective. I truly appreciate the sympathy and encouragement, LLL. I know most of those awful feelings I've had are lies. I do know that a wife who truly loves me will acknowledge the pain, grieve the loss with me, and yet still do her best along with me to make our intimate sexual relationship so amazing that any physical brokenness is forgotten and insignificant compared to the passionate love and intoxicating ecstasy we share.
I also neglected to mention that God has truly been my rock through this. Though circumcision cuts at the surface, the pain of this trauma cut deep into my heart, and God used that as one of a couple things in my life to fundamentally shift my mindset to live my life in light of eternity in everything I do. The pain of a broken body (in ways beyond this as well) has led me powerfully to think on eternity and find hope in the glorified, resurrected bodies we have been promised—bodies that will be able to experience our Savior face to face, and the perfect restoration and peace he will bring to all things.
God has caused amazing growth in me through this, which I am extremely grateful for. And though sex may be negatively impacted, I still have the capacity to experience that amazing part of God's creation, that amazing intimacy and pleasure! So although it hurts, in all honestly, I have gained far more than I have lost. That's the miracle of God working all things for good according to those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Tricky question. Being uncircumcised myself I don’t know how things feel being circumcised. I don’t think it’s terribly important except for the health aspect. Keeping under the foreskin clean is very important for us uncut guys. For diabetics especially a penis infection called balanitis is a definite risk if you’re uncircumcised.
Even though I just used it, the term uncut and cut imply that being uncircumcised is best and that being circumcised is damaging. That is nonsense.
Because I am diabetic I actually have looked into adult circumcision and it can be very very uncomfortable. So I have to be circumspect about my hygiene. (Did ya get it? “Circumspect?” 🤣
My wife is fine with me how I am. Before sex I shower and make sure things down there are squeaky clean. I especially need to be clean on oral sex days. My wife insists and I’m good with that.
There are some known health benefits to circumsision for both husband and wife. But keeping the uncut penis clean is very doable for us and that mitigates the health risks.
Like you, I'm diabetic and uncircumcised, but despite being scrupulous about cleanliness the problems of diabetes can still cause issues on occasion – especially after many years. Having considered adult circumcision after a particularly bad bout of phimosis (a swelling of the foreskin that stops retraction) I'd rather avoid it so have become even more meticulous about keeping things clean.
I have to say that my wife loves my look and there is something incredibly sexy about her slowly retracting my foreskin that is visually stimulating, whether she's using her hand or mouth. I am also fortunate that there are times the freshly uncovered glans can be so sensitive it's almost painful and that combination of pain and pleasure feels amazing.
LLL,
This absolutely is a very sensitive subject with strong opinions on both sides. I am circumcised, and am very grateful to my parents for making that decision for me. Personally, I can't imagine that not having my foreskin is depriving me of any sexual pleasure. I love to masturbate and have sex and the pleasure is unequal to any other pleasure in life, IMO. I won't go into the other details of why I am satisfied being cut because of the note from MH, but let me say this:
I certainly don't feel like I am missing any pleasure from not having foreskin. I tend to ejaculate very quickly as it is, and any additional sensitivity that supposedly comes from being uncircumcised would likely not help me in that aspect at all.
I will add one thing, and I hope MH is okay with it. The reason that the eighth day after a male baby's birth is the optimal time for circumcision is more than just the Mosaic law. God knows what He is doing. From my understanding, the eighth day after birth is when the baby's body produces the most vitamin K, which helps with clotting of the blood and controls bleeding after the procedure. To be clear, I am not trying to make the case that circumcision has anything to do with salvation. The apostles make it very clear in The Acts and other New Testament books that it matters not.
I will say that my wife asked me before we were married if I was circumcised. She made it clear that if I was not, there would be no marriage. End of story. Looking back, perhaps I should be upset with my parents. My marriage is broken. But, I pray to God every day that it can be restored.
Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts on this subject.
I am cut and sometimes I do wonder the feeling I would feel being intact. But as for me personally I love the look of my exposed cock. I still have a decent amount of foreskin that when I am flaccid it will rest and almost cover just the ridge of my head. But I’ve heard people say “ How do you give a hand job to a circumcised man he has no foreskin” I find that false bc when I masturbate or my wife gives me a hand job I have plenty of foreskin when grabbing a hand around my cock to slide up and down. I still have a sensitive frenulum of loose skin when I am hard. And my wife will lick or tug on it with her lips so being cut is not a bad thing you still feel a lot. And it also has it benefits I’m sure for different penis shapes and sizes to be cut. I’ve heard that men with heads bigger than their penis girth can be an issue cause the skin doesn’t retract over it as easy as others. My cock tapers so my head is actually smaller than my girthy shaft so if I wasn’t circumcised my foreskin would easily retract. And also what I believe to be a myth is they say men who are cut it’s more friction for both partners while thrusting vaginal or anal. For me and my wife I find that untrue, when I am inside her vagina or ass, one we use lube and two I can feel and see my foreskin gliding up and down as it slides in and out of my wife’s tight love holes. They say uncut foreskin holds in the woman’s juices or lube better but if you’re circumcised and for some reason find friction to be a problem just add lube.
I'm circumcised and so are about 90% of American men, I believe. Whatever the aesthetics, there has been research done recently claiming that circumcision harms things like sexual performance and experienced pleasure, as the foreskin contains a whole host of nerve endings for the penis. As far as religious opinions go, I think Christians need to remember Galatians 5:1-12.
I have no idea what is better for a man. I have only known my penis with no foreskin. I think men who have had sex with and without foreskin would provide some better insight. It would be horrible for them if it was better with the extra down there, then get cut, and actually know what they are missing.
I know this is a sensitive subject, an I respect each person’s opinion and preference on the matter.
My parents made the decision to have me circumcised, and personally, I’m glad they did. I like the way it looks and I like the way it feels during masturbation and sex. (But that’s just my perspective.)
I am circumcised and happy that I am. My dad is not cut and told me it takes time to keep himself clean from the smegma and such. I have a very sensitive cock and don't feel it matters either way – cut or not, personally. Love the way being cut looks as well.
Thank you to everyone for these replies. I've learned a lot. It does seem to depend on the person. To MH, I apologize if this was a difficult question to post. I truly did not know it was controversial. But I really appreciate the dialogue and getting perspectives from both camps.
LLL,
I think that it is fascinating that you are fascinated with learning about the male "anatomy". Oh, that more women had your attitude!!
I'm one of the few men that can answer your question as "both" — cut and uncut. I was 19 and in the military when I chose to get circumcised. I did it mostly because I had read that it would help with hygiene, and that women are more concerned with hygiene than men. I didn't want my dick to be "unattractive".
The doctor was stunned when I asked if I could get circumcised. But, he scheduled the surgery. It is done under anesthesia, of course, but I was not prepared for the pain of recovery. (I am proud to say, however, that my thickness required 23 stitches….) The worst part was when I would unexpectedly get a hard-on. I broke one of the stitches. O U C H !! And, for the first few days, there is sometimes some oozing of blood that later dries and sticks to the bandage and/or to the underwear. Again, ouch! And, because the head of my dick had been "covered" for the first 19 years, it was very sensitive during the recovery. I mean, like, um… the breeze would blow and — UH-OH, another hard-on! Ouch! The recovery lasted about two weeks, and the second week was a lot better than the first.
All of that said, I am very happy that I had it done. Not only do I feel more "attractive" by the look of it, but also by the ease of keeping it clean. I cannot compare the "before and after" sexual experience, though, because I was still a virgin when I had it done.
The one thing that I can say in comparison regards foreplay. Sometimes, my first wife used to like it when I would rub my dick all over her body. (I loved doing it, too! She was curvy, and the curves were a lot of fun to "navigate" with my dick.) I especially liked rubbing it on her cheeks (the facial ones). I remember thinking to myself that, if I had a foreskin, that would not have felt as good.
By the way, I do somewhat recall how it felt when I masturbated back when I had a foreskin. Without is better. The "flat" part of the head of my dick is quite sensitive, and it gets really warm. Both my dick and my hand feel good when I slowly rub the palm of my hand on it. Did I mention that it gets really warm…? 😉 Please feel free to masturbate while reading this part, and please feel free to tell me about it.
I hope that you find this perspective helpful. I joined this forum only yesterday, and already I have enjoyed several of your posts and comments.
I’m over 70, born and raised in a Christian home. Circumcision was a prevalent practice from the end of the 19th century through to the middle of the 20th century across the US and Europe.
[Nonreligious circumcision became popular in English-speaking countries between 1920 and 1950. At this time it was thought that circumcision might help prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Circumcision never became a common practice in Asia, South America, Central America, or most of Europe. – sourced from the imternet]
All three of my brothers and I were circumcised – we all were born between 1936 and 1950. It was more of a matter of being circumcised given this medical advice dating back to the end of the 19th century into the 20th century until about the 60s/70s and family history and had nothing to do with our evangelical Christian faith.
Two of my father’s five brothers were circumcised as adults due to severe foreskin bacterial issues. Remember, daily bathing was not the norm in those days. All of them were born between 1900 and 1912. Dad wasn’t circumcised and he wished that he had been because he knew about his brother’s issues and had had some foreskin health issues.
As to being cut vs.uncut and my enjoyment of sexual gratification and orgasm. All I can say is that if I were uncut and I would have experienced more ecstasy and incredibly, monumental orgasms and pleasure or pleasured my dear Anne any more than I have for over 40 years of marriage and masturbation for over 60 years, well, I’d probably be dead of a heart attack. 😂😂😂😂😂
I’m circumcised and Anne and I have enjoyed and enjoy amazing orgasmic sex!!!
Ha ha smegma. I worked with a schizophrenic guy for a while. He became very angry when he had to be committed and wrote me threatening letters. In one letter, he called me smegma boy. I still have to chuckle.
He was eventually released and apologized.
So speaking as a man who is uncut, other then of course keeping it clean, I know that the foreskin has more nerve endings so oral sex is supposed to feel better because of this, in fact sex in general is better but I can only speak from my own experience, not sure how it is for cut men. Plus my wife seems to like the look especially when I get hard and the skin retracts naturally and she can focus on my large head.
I’m cut and I honestly have no qualms about it lol. The only reason I would want to be uncut is I think it would be fun to play with the extra skin
I don't mind circumcized in fact I don't mind either. The argument that it's easier to give a blow jobs with a man without foreskin isn't fair because the foreskin naturally retracts behind the head of the penis so it won't be that different when you suck a erect penis. You say the head is more exposed when cut but when hard the penis head is exposed also on a erect penis but not when soft that's the difference. I think hand jobs and masturbation might be easier with foreskin because it helps in my opinion for sexual stimulation but I could be wrong and feels just as good for a cut man.
I'm cut, "always" have been. Glad to be. I get the debate and I get every man has his own story. I respect that. But my story is that I'm totally good with being cut. My wife is a fan, too. My mushroom head is clear and prominent even when flaccid and, of course, semi-erect. When in full erection mode, my dickhead is all that, amazing to see straight up and to touch. Love seeing it, love my wife staring at it and playing with it. When she makes those licking and sucking lollipop moves, whether I'm flaccid, semi-erect, hard-as-steel, whatever, the cut glans and head are electric from first contact. Not saying my uncut bros don't experience the same (or better?), just saying I can't imagine anything more intense or better. When I first became sexually active, I was regularly wearing condoms; so easy on, when cut. Again, not sure how smooth it would be uncut, I just know I could whip out my dick and a condom and be good to go in seconds. Jacking off? No "extra skin" needed. Keeping clean? Always, easy. Done. Looking good up close and from a distance? Yep. My wife says so (and not gonna lie, I've spent some time checking myself out in the big mirror; my wife is right on this). So, for this guy, cut is my game. And loving it.
I am American, but foreign born, so I escaped circumcision.
Hygiene has never been an issue. It is literally no more difficult than cleaning between my toes. I don't remember not being able to easily retract my foreskin. I never have smegma.
When erect, the default for my foreskin is retracted, although I can stretch it to completely cover my glans. It doesn't look that different from pictures I have seen of circumcised guys who have been circumcised. There is some back and forth movement when we fuck — the glans is fully exposed on the instroke, and I'm guessing half-covers it on the outstroke.
When flaccid, the foreskin covers my glans by default. But it will stay retracted. When I am going around nude I will retract it. When clothed, I cover it. Way too sensitive to have rubbing against clothes all the time.
There are studies that show that cut guys generally last longer. If I pace myself, I guess I could go forever. But if my wife starts thrusting or I decide to just go for it, a minute or two is typical. I jokingly tell her it is her fault. She is so hot I can't help myself! But she is very tight too 👍🏻. However, it isn't a problem for us. We get her there by manual or oral stimulation before I enter. She has gotten multiorgasmic in her old age and now will often have an O from fucking.
If I want less sensitivity, there are several ways to achieve that short of surgery.
My wife is from a country that is big on circumcision. She was all gung-ho to get it done when our son was born. Being the family's resident penis expert, I put my foot down and said "no." His foreskin would not retract, That is normal for babies of course, but even when he was older, it was difficult to retract. When he was close to puberty, it got to be a nasty mess. I was afraid I had made a mistake in not agreeing to circumcise him.
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We took him to a doctor from my wife's country. I was sure he would want to circumcise. But no! We wasn't that concerned about it. He said it would resolve when he started masturbating. He prescribed some ointment which cleared things up, and that's the last I heard of it.
I have since learned that the foreskin should not be forcibly retracted. It might be after puberty before it will retract! Apparently hygiene is not a problem. Just run water over it. I guess is it sort of like a girl — she pees and it gets between her labial folds. Sure, it is easy to part them and wash, but that might not happen until half-a-day later when she showers. And remember, daily bathing is a relatively recent development.
So I am guessing my son's problem started because my wife forcibly retracted his foreskin. Anyway, it all ended well in spite of our ignorance.
Just a quick note. I'm "half-cut". Its also called the "French cut". I call it the "Acorn cut". You get the idea. I think it is perfect. I can pull my foreskin back and it stays, or forward, and again, it doesnt move. My wife has nothing to compare it to so, no comment.
Patient Passion, I feel your pain. One of my best friends is cut and hates it terribly. In fact, he sounds just like you. He is also using a device to create a foreskin. Every time he makes progresss he shows me. (We are both nudist and straight.) He's about caught up to me.
Many African groups circumsize their boys at puberty as part of their rite of passage initiaion. In those groups an uncircumsized male is not a man.
The history of circumcision in the United States is dark. In the early 1900's it was believed that male masturbation is what caused criminal and psychotic behavior. Doctors advocated for infant circumcision, sometimes without the knowledge or permission of the mother, thinking that would reduce masturbating. No one should have any body part chopped off without their consent. I believe when a young man turns 18 he can choose to get that done if he wants but that decision shouldn't be made for him based on pseudo-science.
My hubby was circumcised as a newborn infant. I would be happy if he was or wasn't cut. I'm sad for him that he didn't get to make that choice.
Being born in the 1950s I was circ'd as a matter of routine. Having never been uncut, I have no clue how it affected my sensitivity.
I do know what I had was VERY pleasurable in masturbating as a teen and in sex in marriage. What I did find out (not that long ago) was that most men experience orgasm in the prostate where I experience it in the frenulum area, when the semen passes under it. An effect of nerve re-routing? Perhaps.
All I know is I like the way it looks and feels.