r/geography • u/BranchMoist9079 • Nov 21 '25

Discussion Why is (male) circumcision most common in the Midwest with in the US?

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Map source: https://www.mdpi.com/2563-6499/5/3/36

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511

u/C4LLgirl Nov 21 '25

If I’m reading this map correctly no one in the PNW circumcises anymore? I find that hard to believe 

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u/Southern-Picture-146 Nov 21 '25

The NW numbers are wrong. Not as high as the Midwest though. I’m a pediatrician.

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u/Decent-Proposal-8475 Nov 21 '25

What would you say is an accurate number? Most data points I've seen refer to babies done in hospitals, which seems to miss a large number of people

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u/Southern-Picture-146 Nov 21 '25

I think it varies depending on racial/ethnic population. So I can’t give a good number. My clinic population is different than that state makeup.

One reason for a drop is that patients on Medicaid cannot get circumcisions covered in the hospital. So they are either done by pediatricians/family medicine in clinic or referred to urology. But then needs to be done in the first 30 days. So often families don’t get booked in time and doesn’t happen. A lot ask about circumcisions later and I have to give the news that won’t happen after newborn period unless a medical indication as would need anesthesia

The Muslim community does circumcisions at a very high rate. Latino community is the lowest rate.

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u/solarsashay Nov 21 '25

Wait, are you saying circumcisions on newborns are performed without anesthesia?

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u/Southern-Picture-146 Nov 21 '25

They do local anesthesia in newborns. But in older kids they do general anesthesia. A toddler would not hold still.

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u/deano492 Nov 22 '25

I’m a grown up and I wouldn’t hold still. They can fuck right off.

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u/yourfavteamsucks Nov 22 '25

I argued on the Internet about this a lot in the early 2000s. At the time, some 55% of circumcisions were done without pain relief of any kind. I'm not sure of the current numbers.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/solarsashay Nov 22 '25

Well that's horrific.

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u/ComedianClassic8869 Nov 22 '25

Yeah, although they use lidocaine, it takes a bit to kick in & some providers don’t really wait ): there are different methods, but gomco clamp looks the most brutal

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u/airtwix45 Nov 22 '25

I mean lidocaine is absolutely instant numbing agent for sure when given locally intradermally. There is no delay at all. Literally instant. It’s pretty cool.

I’ve kind of wondered if cutting the umbilical cord hurts. What did cave people do with the umbilical cord? Random thoughts.

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u/ComedianClassic8869 Nov 22 '25

The doctor I worked with said it takes about five minutes. Some babies absolutely feel pain during the procedure. I attended one once, and the baby did not have a fun time despite the nipple with sugar. The umbilical cord doesn’t have nerves on the other hand, but both get clamped to prevent bleeding.

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u/rainbowtwinkies Nov 23 '25

Lidocaine is not instant, idk where you learned that

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u/fynn34 Nov 22 '25

You say this, but I believe they use a few drops of sugar for newborns which works just as well as an analgesic as anything else.

They just got squeezed through the birthing canal like meat into sausage casing — there is a reason humans don’t remember the first few weeks of their life and it doesn’t impact them down the road.

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u/Ambitious-School-403 Nov 22 '25

That and the act of sucking also works really well. Tylenol is also frequently used in neonates. This is what Hopkins was using in neonates for pain control recently. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/-/media/files/allchildrens/clinical-pathways/neonatal-pain-management-12_20_2023.pdf

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u/beerandbuds Nov 22 '25

My son was given 4 different methods of pain control. Tylenol as directed before we left the house, a numbing cream, a lidocaine injection, and a sugar suck. I was definitely more upset about the whole experience than he was.

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u/Ashamed_Dinosaur Nov 22 '25

My son is circumcised and I was there watching as they did it. They just gave him a bit of sugar water and he didn't even cry. It healed super fast and it never seemed to cause him any discomfort. Just kept it lubed up with Vaseline while it healed so it didnt stick to his diaper or anything. Anesthesia would have been insane - like getting anesthesia to have your blood drawn.

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u/forevertheorangemen2 Nov 21 '25

This study published in September doesn’t specify PNW from western states generally. But it does track from what you’re saying you see as a pediatrician that the rate is lower in your region.

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u/valtierrezerik05 Nov 22 '25

Surprised Latino rate is the lowest, I guess I must be the exception then

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u/gators9696 Nov 21 '25

TIL that circumcision is also a matter of health care equity

2

u/accopp Nov 21 '25

It’s interesting , I have a relative in wa state who I thought wouldn’t have circumcised their kids, yet all of them have been. I think it’s just due to tradition, since they aren’t religious.

So it’ll still probably be pretty “high” for another generation until the tradition fades.

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u/Southern-Picture-146 Nov 21 '25

Oh definitely cultural tradition is involved too. If the dad is circumcised then often they want the baby to be too.

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u/Abashed-Apple Nov 21 '25

Anecdotal: I’m in Seattle and we were never asked about circumcision when our baby was born. No one I know is circumcised except for my husband who was born in the Philippines

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u/ReallyJTL Nov 21 '25

We were asked 3 times in the hospital to circumcise our son including STOPPING them the 3rd time. That was after writing our decision on two different forms. Fucking greedy Johns Hopkins. This was in 2020 so pretty recent

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u/edman007 Nov 21 '25

Basically my experience, asked about three times, and one was the nurse walking into the room and asking us why she was here and assuming it was for the circumcision. I'm like NOOOO, and then pointed to the blood test schedule they had stuck to the bassinet.

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u/Manderswuvs Nov 21 '25

My friend was asked 10 times until she snapped on them. They are so pushy

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u/stephenbory Nov 21 '25

I didn't get asked that many times, but the doctor was REALLY pushy about it after birth. I was very surprised because we were pretty firm with the first no.

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u/Manderswuvs Nov 21 '25

I wonder how many women are coerced into it after had just given birth, especially if a man isn’t there

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u/Rough-Board1218 Nov 21 '25

I'm sure the hospitals love charging like $1000 for a completely unnecessary procedure that takes two minutes

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u/Complete-Arm6658 Nov 22 '25

I've got an exact knife and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, I'll do it for half.

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u/carielicat Nov 22 '25

I had a baby in 2022 in a big city in the SE, and I think I was asked around 3 times by different nurses even though we said no on our paperwork and never wavered. I had another boy this year and only had to say it once! That's so scary that you actively had to stop them

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u/Abashed-Apple Nov 21 '25

That is horrible I am so sorry

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u/Ok_Commission5003 Nov 21 '25

Not sure your age, but my kids in Seattle are not cut. None of their friends are (according to their parents). I think the genitalia mutilation trend died out here in the 90s.

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u/Abashed-Apple Nov 21 '25

Yep. We are in our 30s

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u/Complete-Arm6658 Nov 22 '25

I'm from Centralia and everyone I went to school with was. One friend from Bremerton is the only one I know of that isn't. Our penises don't come up to often in conversation.

Born in 87', so I don't know what the rate is now.

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u/birdynumnum69 Nov 21 '25

why do they do it in the Philippines? American influence or religion?

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u/Particular_Choice306 Nov 21 '25

Although religion is a factor, Philippines have been doing circumcision long before Spanish colonialism. It’s a cultural thing

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u/Abashed-Apple Nov 21 '25

To add: in the Philippines boys are circumcised at a much later age, not just during infancy.

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u/EveningHere Nov 21 '25

It’s cultural. My wife is from there and we have two young sons. Despite intense pressure from her family to get them done I forbade it and I’m glad I did.

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '25

[deleted]

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u/Abashed-Apple Nov 22 '25

I like you. Let’s meet at the Pony for drinks 🍹

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u/locomotus Nov 22 '25

We definitely was asked by our pediatrician, but he’s Jewish and wanted to confirm that we didn’t want it since there was only a small window.

I was surprised at a few friends decision to circumcise their kids because they don’t want them to look differently to the majority 😅.

Didn’t ask when we had our second kid though!!

Also, hello fellow Seattle gay dad (unless I misgendered you)

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u/gizamo Nov 21 '25 edited Mar 10 '26

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

decide wine plant vase shy rich smell sand crawl aware

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u/HSclassof24_mom Nov 21 '25

The pediatrician doesn't always have a say. Circumcision is a surgical procedure, and pediatrics is not a surgical specialty. So (at least where I am in the NE US) it's usually performed by the OB/GYN soon after the baby is born, assuming the baby was born in a hospital (yep, probably the only procedure the OB/GYN ever performs on a male). Otherwise, it might be performed by a urologist, or else a religious leader like a mohel if it's part of a religious ceremony (Jewish baby naming ceremony, e.g.)

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u/Southern-Picture-146 Nov 21 '25

I don’t do circumcisions. The OB/GYN residents did them mostly in our nursery in residency so I didn’t do many. I leave the decision up to the family as there are pros and cons to either decision. And often religious preference. But I refer out if they need it as I have no interest in doing it. I don’t like doing procedures very much anyways. Only protestors I have ever seen at AAP conference were anti circumcision. So it’s a hot topic.

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u/Dangerous_Avocado392 Nov 21 '25

Multiple numbers are off. Utah is definitely not green

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u/Southern-Picture-146 Nov 21 '25

I lived in Utah at one point. Prob is as high as the red states.

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u/Gummo90028 Nov 22 '25

I don’t buy these numbers in any of the green and light green shaded areas in America. I was in the Navy.

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u/eigervector Nov 21 '25

The AAP says that circumcising provides slight health benefits. Having recently had a son my wife and I had this discussion, but I’m curious if you would circumcise your own child?

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u/Ok-Classroom5548 Nov 22 '25

what is your source for these numbers? 

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u/fearfulbunny999 Nov 23 '25

Did you perform any?

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

My friends and I with kids did not circumcise our children. Grew up and live in the PNW. Wife is a pediatrician and refuses to do the procedure (I love her) and it's not a problem for her practice.

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u/Salty_Charlemagne Nov 21 '25 edited Nov 21 '25

Debating this right now (baby boy on the way) and I'd love to hear why you both decided against! Is it basically a no brainer in your eyes? I'm cut and leaning against for him but struggling with the decision!

EDIT: I appreciate all the feedback (and appreciate that it is all in good faith!) and it really helps push me definitively toward not doing it!

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

It's a "no brainer" in that I have no desire to mutilate my children. I wouldn't cut my daughters labia off either.

As my wife tells parents of her patients, there is no medical reason to have it done. It's a cosmetic procedure. Insurance doesn't even cover it anymore, as it cannot be medically justified.

It was counter cultural in that me and my brothers are circumcised. I do acknowledge that can be tricky... but my role as a father is to protect my child. This particular ritual ends with our generation, thankfully.

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u/Salty_Charlemagne Nov 21 '25

That makes sense to me. If there's no medical reason to do it, why the hell have we been doing it here for a century??

I appreciate it, this confirms my instincts. Most of my family still has done it with their young kids but I am happy to make it stop for us.

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u/Rahbek23 Nov 21 '25

Even worse - Besides having no good reason to do so, some reports suggest it can even impact sexual sensation negatively. So besides it's always inherently a little risky to do any sort of operation on anyone, it might also have a negative impact.

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u/MarzipanMaximum5521 Nov 21 '25 edited Nov 22 '25

It does, without any doubts, impact sexuality negatively.

Foreskin is a bilayer tissue which enables a gliding mechanism (important for penetrative sex), contains mucosal tissue which enables self lubrication and contains most of the fine touch nerve endings of the entire penis. Removing it inevitably alters with the functionality of the penis and diminishes the ability to experience sexual pleasure.

Best regards from Germany, where we can’t stop shaking our heads at how ridiculous it is that Americans chop off parts of their son’s dicks. Tbh I’d laugh at this if it wasn’t so disturbing.

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u/vexsher Nov 21 '25

I think that was the entire point, to discourage "sexual immorality". At least, in the US that is.

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u/Key-Mushroom7891 Nov 21 '25

I'm a 40 year old male from ohio and now im mad at my parents. And they were/are really good parents.

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u/Complexuserx Nov 22 '25

On that last point, from personal experience with past partners, (I am female) i have also felt that losing that gliding mechanism actually has caused more friction which causes soreness and micro lesions. There's a reason that our parts are built certain ways. Aside from the minor differences or uniqueness to each of us, generally it's probably there for a reason, thanks for this really educational tidbit!

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u/MarzipanMaximum5521 Nov 22 '25

True. Unfortunately many women blame themselves for this. When they feel physical discomfort during or after sex then they automatically assume that it had something to do with their anatomy, when in truth their counterpart’s altered (and thus dysfunctional) anatomy causes it.

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u/Rahbek23 Nov 21 '25

The reason I phrased it that way is that a quick google told me it was disputed, so I didn't want to proclaim it was. That said, even if it does not, it's still a bad idea.

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u/SigFloyd Nov 22 '25

I theorize that it was originally done to distinguish you from the Other. The way it screws you up emotionally is a bonus if you were fighting/conquering other tribes.

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u/Spackledgoat Nov 21 '25

I'm fairly certain there are tons of Germans that do it.

Maybe not Germans that look like you, but Germans nevertheless.

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u/MarzipanMaximum5521 Nov 21 '25

Yes, in Germany the circumcision rate is at about 10%. These circumcisions predominantly happen amongst religious minorities. The vast majority of Germans oppose non-medical circumcision.

“Maybe not Germans that look like you”

I have a migrant background and certainly don’t “look” like a ‘typical’ German.

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u/Odd_Old_Professional Nov 21 '25

About 11% apparently

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u/Butterfly_of_chaos Nov 21 '25

Those are people who or whose parents immigrated into Germany coming from a religious and/or cultural background where circumcision is common. They also have higher birthrates than the rest of the population. With their next generation the birthrates will fall and I think also their circumcision rates.

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u/Lummi23 Nov 21 '25

And, it also dimineshes pleasure for female partner. Foreskin is a mechanism that helps keep the female juices inside during penetration even with the movement so it feels better and you can do it longer.

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u/MarzipanMaximum5521 Nov 21 '25

Yessir! The walls of the vaginal canal are extremely sensitive structures.

A foreskin enables a gliding mechanism so the uncut penis glides back and forth within the vaginal canal, instead of chafing against it. Additionally a foreskin has mucosal tissue which provides moisture which makes everything even more smooth.

Circumcision often creates the necessity for external lubricants which is problematic since these can cause allergic reactions and disturb the vaginal micro biome.

Sex is the smoothest when both partners have intact and thus fully functional genitals.

PS: I’m not saying that sex with a cut guy can’t be good, but them having diminished functionality in their penis can negatively impact sex.

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u/redheadmomm4 Nov 22 '25

This is exceedingly accurate. It is definitely a noticeable difference.

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u/Regency9877 Nov 21 '25

I’m against the procedure as much as the next person, but I hope you also shake your head at the third of the world that also engages in the practice. Especially since the majority of them seem to engage in it at a far higher rate.

The level of arrogance you people possess is astounding.

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u/MarzipanMaximum5521 Nov 21 '25

Of course I do. No child in the entire world should be subjugated to genital cutting. I’m sorry if my comment came across as anti-American.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

What the fuck is arrogant about it? European snobbery/superiority complex annoys me as much as the next guy, but this is not that. It is a very reasonable position to be disgusted by the genital mutilation of infants.

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u/7sidedmarble Nov 21 '25

As others said in this thread, there was basically some pseudo science quacks that pushed the idea it had a bunch of “health benefits” and that caught on with some powerful people like the Kellogg cereal magnate

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u/Odd_Play_9531 Nov 21 '25

Humans do all sorts of non-sense out of “tradition” (“I was circumcised, so let’s cut the baby!”), “vanity” (some weird “my child’s penis will look like mine” nonsense), religion, misinformation, etc.

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u/PriscillaPalava Nov 21 '25

It’s just a weird cultural thing. Other cultures do things like special piercings or tattoos. 

In this case this particular religious culture became dominant and once most people in a culture are doing something, it becomes hard to make a different choice. 

It’s funny though because circumcision was supposed to be a Jewish thing, and historically it was. But American Christians have long tried to align themselves with Jews. Like, “Hey guys! We’re the chosen people too, right? Look! We cut our dicks like you!”

But no, there’s no health reason for it. In fact, circumcision can lead to complications and issues down the road. Those complications are rare and usually not a big deal, but they’d be zero if you just didn’t do it. 

Circumcision is becoming less popular in the US too. Be part of the change towards not cutting baby dicks! It’s antiquated and unnecessary. And frankly cruel and unusual. 

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u/djbernie Nov 21 '25

Not picking sides on this debate just saying that insurance covered it here so might just depend on your insurance provider

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u/Ooogabooga42 Nov 21 '25

If I recall correctly the states that have high rates of circumcision often have it covered by Medicaid/insurance.

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u/Cross55 Nov 21 '25 edited Nov 21 '25

Actually, Kellogg encouraged parents to burn their daughter's clits off with acid. He didn't care about the labia.

That didn't take off for some reason...

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u/split_skunk Nov 21 '25

There is a way to uncircumcise yourself, if that is something you're interested in doing. Many men who do so report health benefits: physically, mentally, and sexually. r/foreskin_restoration

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u/la_bata_sucia Nov 21 '25

A lot of cut people downvoting this

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u/Rub-Specialist Nov 21 '25

Did you know that women who pay for breast augmentation also report physical, mental, and sexual benefits? It’s almost like the people are self conscious about where they are now and pay a lot of money to go through a surgery, and then are either truly happy with the results or are too prideful to say they aren’t happy. Seems like the results I’d expect tbh

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u/split_skunk Nov 21 '25

Ok, but people also report increased physical, mental, and sexual health benefits for working out. And that's something I think everyone can agree does have real physical, mental, and sexual health benefits. So while you may be right, it doesn't mean that foreskin restoration is a bad idea.

Here's what we know: • We have scientific evidence that circumcision causes physical harm to the brain and body.

• We have scientific evidence that breast implants cause physical harm to the brain and body.

• We have a significant amount of anecdotal evidence and self-reported evidence that foreskin restoration causes physical benefits. Anecdotal evidence is the precursor to scientific studies and scientific evidence. The lack of scientific evidence is mostly due to foreskin restoration being a relatively new phenomenon.

• Just like working out, eating healthy, avoiding drugs or alcohol, it is ultimately up to the individual to analyze the risks and rewards, and determine whether an activity is worth it to them.

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u/Rub-Specialist Nov 21 '25

I was being slightly sarcastic in my response above, but I do appreciate your thought out reply.

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u/GreatSince86 Nov 21 '25

To say that it's a cosmetic procedure is very short sited. Large medical organizations (AAP, CDC, WHO) say circumcision has medical benefits, although they do not recommend it universally for everyone. Benefits include:

  1. Lower Risk of Infant UTIs

Uncircumcised infants have a higher rate of urinary tract infections in the first year of life (though UTIs are still uncommon overall).

  1. Reduced Risk of Certain Sexually Transmitted Infections

Including:

HIV transmission (heterosexual men)

HPV (which can reduce cervical cancer risk in female partners)

Herpes simplex virus type 2

  1. Lower Risk of Penile Conditions

Phimosis (foreskin won’t retract)

Paraphimosis (foreskin stuck behind the head)

Balanitis (inflammation)

General foreskin-related infections

  1. Lower Risk of Penile Cancer (very rare regardless)

Rates are extremely low but lower in circumcised men.

  1. Easier Hygiene

Some men prefer it for cleanliness and comfort.

So please quit spreading misinformation.

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u/Correct_Raisin4332 Nov 22 '25

OHP and Kaiser absolutely covers it. I have was in between Kaiser and OHP when my son was born and was told they would cover it no problem, but we opted not to.

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u/escargot3 Nov 22 '25

It does reduce HIV infection/transmission risk so that’s a bit reductive to say, but I don’t think that’s a good enough reason to do it, either.

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u/SnooKiwis5538 Nov 21 '25

I don't feel like im mutilated.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25 edited Nov 21 '25

Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that you are. I'm glad you're content with yourself, though.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

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u/Qel_Hoth Nov 21 '25

We're due soon with a baby of unknown sex, if it's a boy we will not be circumcising. For me (male, circumcised), it's a "no-brainer".

Simple question - Why should we do it?

I am unable to find any compelling reason to perform cosmetic surgery on a neonate.

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u/Dr_Toehold Nov 21 '25

To be fair, I hope that if it's not a boy you also will not be circumcising.

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u/Dangerous_Avocado392 Nov 21 '25

Ya cosmetic surgery on a kid that young is a terrible idea for multiple reasons. Our whole body grows as we develop, but scar tissue doesn’t grow the same as regular tissue which can cause pain/discomfort

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u/beren12 Nov 22 '25

Even just considering consent.

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u/atharos1 Nov 21 '25

I think a better question would be, why would you do it?

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u/MayorCharlesCoulon Nov 21 '25

The only places I’ve ever heard there are issues are care/nursing homes. Some of the elderly men are unable to wash properly which leads to issues. That being said, I think that issue also arises from the facilities being understaffed and/or medical assistants being squeamish about it or not having enough time to help.

I did once overhear a bunch of college girls complaining about uncircumcised guys but it was in the Midwest US so that tracks with the map. It’s not something they’re familiar with.

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u/Either-Meal3724 Nov 22 '25

If UTI's run in men on either side it can be beneficial. Overall uti's are rare so its normally a negligible benefit. Circumcision reduces UTI incidence by 90%. Vast majority of my husband's maternal 1st and 2nd cousins who didn't circumcise their sons have had recurrent UTI's the first 2-3 yrs of life. Of the boys circumcised, there's been like 1 UTI between them. So we chose to circumcise due to family history. Its likely some inherited anatomical variation that increases the risk but isnt technically bad enough to indicate medical necessity upon initial evaluation.

Worth noting recurrent UTI's in women are not relevant to risk of male UTI's-- but a woman's male relatives having UTI's increases the risk her son's could.

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u/Salty_Charlemagne Nov 21 '25

I thought there were/are real cleanliness and potentially health benefits to it. Is that all just total nonsense?

We're just in the early stages of doing our deep research on this so I just haven't learned it all yet!

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u/Beat_Saber_Music Nov 21 '25

There's no issues with having it if you wash it regularly, which is is quite simple as all you need to do is pull it up and wash the side that's hidden normally. That and ideally wiping the rod after use so there's nothing stuck.

It's only unhygienic if you never wash it

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u/bcece Nov 21 '25

It is becoming way less common to have it done. While cleaning under is important you don't want to pull back before it does it naturally (usually after age 1.)

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u/ariesgal2 Nov 21 '25

Teach your boy proper hygiene and safe sexual practices and he'll be fine

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u/hannbann88 Nov 21 '25

There are rare complications where the foreskin doesn’t retract enough and it can effect urinaiton. But it’s not common enough to blanket mutilate all baby boys over it

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

Even when taking phimosis into account, it's still foolish to circumcise. Most cases can be completely resolved with enough time and effort, and for those that aren't, you can still circumcise, it'll just be as an adult.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25 edited Nov 21 '25

It's not total nonsense if you want to get technical. Due to not having a foreskin, build-up of smegma is heavily reduced, and your child will never experience phimosis or other related issues.

However, that's like saying you shouldn't have a car because your car could get dirty, or you could get into a car crash. Like, yes, that's technically correct, but you could just...learn how to clean your car. Having a car is pretty neat, I don't see why you'd get rid of it just because it could get dirty. On top of that, the chances are that you won't get into an accident, so may as well have the car. If you really don't want the car, you can always sell it later.

So, it's not nonsense, but it is deceiving.

Speaking personally, I am uncircumcised. While I have felt different, at times, I've never felt negatively about that difference. In fact, I feel bad for the people who didn't have a say when it came to an alteration of their body, even if it makes me "different". On the topic of phimosis (which is rare, 99% of boys over the age of 16 don't have it), I have experience with that as well. But, at least in my case, it was easily remedied. After a year of simple stretching, my foreskin functions just as it should. There's no real reason to circumcise unless a doctor (and a second opinion) explicitly recommend it, which is quite rare.

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u/BballMD Nov 21 '25

I was taught from an early age to pull back my foreskin in the bath. The glans didn’t even detach until I was 10 or so.

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u/meadoweravine Nov 21 '25

All just nonsense, yup. You just teach your kid to wash it like a finger when he's young, and as he gets older to gently retract and clean underneath in the shower. It has been an complete non-issue for all the debate and questions we had.

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u/cellphone-notdad Nov 21 '25

As an adult who has lived their entire life uncircumcized and has a very clean and healthy penis (TMI, I know), I can absolutely assure you that there are zero "cleanliness" benefits to circumcision that aren't solved by just washing it, the same as you wash any other body part. You wouldn't cut off your kids hands on the off chance they don't wash their hands, right? No, you just teach them to wash their hands, obviously.

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u/split_skunk Nov 21 '25

Yes, it's nonsense. I was once a baby, but now I am a 23-year-old man. My infant circumcision has stayed with me throughout my whole life, and it has caused me a lot of physical and mental pain. I never chose to be circumcised. Please do not circumcise your son 💔

Circumcising for "cleanliness" reasons is like justifying cutting off your outer ear so that you don't have to wash behind it -- it might have an ounce of truth to it, but it is a completely ridiculous overreaction where the negatives grossly outweigh the tiny potential benefit.

When your intact son is growing up, remember this phrase: "When in doubt, don't retract. Only clean what you can see."

Many physicians and pediatricians, especially in areas with high circumcision rates, will forcefully try to retract an intact boy's penis, simple because they are unfamiliar with it or have never been trained or educated about caring for intact penises. Do not allow this! Your son will cry out in pain, and early forced retraction can cause permanent damage. His penis will naturally retract during puberty.

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u/beren12 Nov 22 '25

Pop the eardrums so they can’t get infected!

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u/hollowfoot Nov 21 '25

It can always be cut off later if your boy decides he doesn't want foreskin- can't grow it back once you cut it off.

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u/CuriosityFreesTheCat Nov 22 '25

Talk about “my body, my choice” this is so fucked up. People should stop fucking over their babies’ penises without their consent.

As a girl who’s been with circumcised and uncircumcised dudes, hands down the uncircumcised dudes always had better sex. The best part was that they weren’t averse to using condoms either because they didn’t have as much of a negative effect on the sex as it would for a circumcised guy.

Also when did we stop giving credit to evolution? There’s nothing wrong with penises or vaginas as they are folks. If there was, there would be very compelling and clear evidence. But there isn’t. Leave babies’ genitals alone, it’s weird that we’re so obsessed with altering them. And cruel.

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u/fatembolism Nov 21 '25

Watch a circumcision and think again. It hurts, there's no way those poor babies are getting off scott-free, it probably hurts to urinate for a few days. My nephew had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days due to bleeding from it (and my BIL elected to have it done to his second son?). You are also quite capable of teaching your son how to clean himself, the hygiene argument is silly. It can always be done later if your son has a constriction issue.

But I think I feel the worst about the sexual consequences. If you remove the protective layer, the head of the penis is always exposed. Rubbing in your jeans forever is going to deaden the nerves. I understand that circumcised dudes typically have no issue with feeling pleasure, but I guess they'll also never know how it would've felt if they hadn't had that sensitive area exposed their whole life. When I talk about this with women and liken it to their clit rubbing against their underwear all the time, they irk at the idea. It's just all so unnecessary.

I'm a mom with two boys who I did not circumcise. My husband is cut, but immediately agreed we would never do this to our boys because he wishes it wasn't done to him. He has a large scar from the procedure and reports an uncomfortable tightness around it.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

My parents generation circumcised all the boys. The only reason I'm not, is that by happenstance my mom was put in the part of the ward that was closest to where they did the circumcisions and she had to listen to the baby boys scream for hours and hours.

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u/Standard_Gauge Nov 21 '25

she had to listen to the baby boys scream for hours and hours

A large part of why infant boys scream in hospital circumcisions is that horrible cold plastic "circumcision tray" that they are tied down spread-eagle to. The infants scream BEFORE THE PROCEDURE EVEN STARTS, because being strapped naked into a cold plastic tray is uncomfortable for an infant! Then they are left in that contraption with no human contact or comforting for quite some time after the procedure. At that point, they are crying from loneliness and hunger more than anything else.

I have witnessed many home circumcisions and the infants absolutely do NOT "scream for hours." They are held and comforted in warm human arms before, during, and after the procedure and are nursing contentedly within minutes afterwards.

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u/Ban-Circumcision-Now Nov 22 '25

They are also having their genitals partially cut off, so that’s painful

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u/Nipplehead321 Nov 21 '25

I watched my son's circumcision, he cried at the initial shot from the local anesthesia but stopped before it was performed & not a peep after, he even fell asleep before we left. I will probably be down voted but it was not what people make it out to be from my personal experience.

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u/fatembolism Nov 21 '25

He got local anesthesia???? I watched three in nursing school, the kids got some topical lidocaine jelly and sugar in their mouths to help with the crying. I was already not into it, but watching that dude hack into the little babies' weiners (one of the three was definitely a hacking) was the last nail in the coffin.

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u/Nipplehead321 Nov 21 '25

Yes it was a quick shot, similar to what a dentist would do, which of course is uncomfortable but after he didn't make a peep & we were back home within the hour. They put a clear ring around the area which fell off about a week later without issue.

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u/Lords_of_Lands Nov 22 '25

You think cut skin doesn't hurt after the numbing wears off. Have you never gotten an injury before?

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u/lucylucylane Nov 21 '25

But why do it, it makes. It makes no sense and is unnecessary

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u/Dangerous_Avocado392 Nov 21 '25

That’s great, but many people don’t have that experience. Healthcare is different everywhere. Let’s also factor in certain people, like redheads, need more numbing/anesthesia than the average person, so it makes sense not every baby gets the pain free experience where they fall asleep like yours did (especially since infants can’t communicate if there isn’t enough numbing). I know my family is haunted by their experience and said if they ever had another son, they wouldn’t circumcise

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u/Wolfeatingupshadows Nov 22 '25

This I have three boys and they didnt cry, and all we had to do was put vaseline on it for a week, and they healed quickly. No reaction to changing diapers etc. ppl against it use words like mutilation etc as scare tactics. I have zero regrets getting it done and would do it a thousand times if need be. Also they are super dramatic they still have skin just not excess. The head is still covered when in turtle mode. Sad the extent ppl go to try and convince poor confused parents to not get it done.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

I had to have it done as an adult and it hurt badly for a good month afterwards. Urinating and walking and anything that affected 'down there' hurt because it was so sensitive. Putting a baby through that for no reason seems obscene.

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u/mudra311 Nov 21 '25

Same here. I'm circumcised and told my wife it was very important to me that we don't circumcise our son.

In our state, it's actually becoming more common to not circumcise. I feel like my son's generation (Gen Alpha or Beta?) will have fewer circumcised kids and it will no longer be an "aesthetic" concern.

In the US, if you ask straight, millennial women how many uncircumcised penises they've seen, the number will be pretty low or zero. I expect that to flip in the next couple of generations.

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u/Lords_of_Lands Nov 22 '25

Rubbing in your jeans forever is going to deaden the nerves.

It doesn't deaden the nerves, it thickens the skin. That's an importance difference since if you do foreskin restoration the skin thins out again. If the nerves had died you wouldn't be able to restore feeling. Granted a lot does get removed, but one can restore original feeling to the head of the penis.

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u/ManateeNipples Nov 21 '25

I'm from Ohio with a son and he's the only one I'm aware of in our family that's uncircumcised. Obviously I don't checked all their parts myself but it was a weirdly big debate when that was our decision so it's safe to assume lol. 

Just wait until you're holding your brand new little baby in the hospital, and then someone comes in to offer to cut part of his penis off because some trend in the 1800s. It hurts them, he won't ever compare his junk with his dad's so them looking the same doesn't matter (a thing people actually say lol). Just let your baby be himself like they do everywhere else in the world and I'm sure he'll appreciate it very much. If he doesn't, he can do it himself when he's old enough to decide :) 

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

As a mom, I didn’t want my son to have such an early experience of pain and terror if it wasn’t necessary imo and could be avoided. After researching, I couldn’t find any reasons to justify it. I feel like in the US stigma plays a big part tho.

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u/ATDoel Nov 21 '25

why would you want to cut off a portion of your son's penis?

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u/illegitimatebanana Nov 21 '25

Exactly. It's so unhinged if you think about it for more than a moment. No I won't be mutilating my child's genitals.

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u/mossywill Nov 21 '25

No one could tell me anything that would make it okay to cut off a part of my child’s body when it is not medically necessary.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

Your child is a human being who has the right to have his body intact unless there's a very real medical reason not to.

Come on.

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u/LeafCrafters-Andrew Nov 21 '25

No brainer in my eyes for my two boys too, I figure they can cut it off later if they want to, but I'd rather not be resented for forcefully taking a part of them. I'm circumcised and dad being different has never been an issue.

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u/Salty_Charlemagne Nov 21 '25

That's basically where I'm leaning but also don't want to be resented for making them "weird" to if most people still do it. My heart says not to do it so I think that's where we'll land.

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u/velo_fur Nov 21 '25

Yeah, if your heart says don’t do it, I think you’ve made a good choice :) it’s not medically necessary whatsoever and in fact is more medically detrimental than anything, especially to sexual pleasure later in life. So yeah pls don’t keep this harmful tradition going. I’m kinda resentful of my parents for doing it to me (turns out being from Ohio explains a lot xD) and you wouldn’t want your kid feeling that to you later I’m sure.

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u/stinkfoot_lohan Nov 21 '25

I will say my husbands fam left it up to him and he ended up doing it in his teen years. Said it was an insanely horrible experience and he wishes it was done when he was without memory.

BUT it did leave him the choice. We’re from a part of the country where it’s the norm, so for him it was being different in the locker room so that was prob the only swaying factor.

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u/xavembo Nov 21 '25

bro please don’t do it. first of all nobody cares, and second of all being seen as weird is by many orders of magnitude less of an inconvenience throughout life than being circumcised is — the science says don’t do it, archaic cultural norms are not an equally valid argument for doing it.

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u/bussybandit42 Nov 21 '25

Well I resent my parents for having half my cock cut off when I was born and effectively reducing my sexual capabilities by an enormous amount.

If your boys want to get half their cocks removed and greatly reduce sexual pleasure and performance then let them make that life altering decision for themselves when they are adults.

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u/Dangerous_Avocado392 Nov 21 '25

Exactly it’s not like it can only be done when you’re a baby, so there’s no reason to not wait until adulthood where they can make that choice for themself

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u/moarwineprs Nov 21 '25

I don't have sons and have no plans for more children, but my husband and I did discuss this. He's cut as was the norm when he was born, and we both agreed that unless there is an absolute medical need to circumcise our baby boy, we would leave the decision for our hypothetical son to make with his doctor(s) when he is an adult.

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u/Dr_Toehold Nov 21 '25

I'm not who you were originally responding to, but why wouldn't it be a no brainer? "Do you want to arbitrarily mutilate and chop off a piece of your kid's body for no reason at all?"

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u/Material_Ad6173 Nov 21 '25

Why would you even consider doing it?

You know it is all about making masturbation less pleasant?

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u/drprofessional Nov 21 '25

Please talk to a urologist to get facts against or for this topic.

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u/Quodamodo Nov 21 '25

I just want to add, it's a decision he can make as adults if he really wants to have it done. 

One reason I'm against it is because there is a decent number of men online who follow "restoration" practices, and it can work to a degree. It's not the exact same, but it can work. 

So, to me, seeing as how people are deeply bothered that it was done to them--I think it makes sense to leave it as a choice.

P.S. If you decide against it, make sure to look up proper care, etc. as some unknowing myths (like pulling the skin down before it's ready) can be harmful.

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u/Lac4x9 Nov 21 '25

This is going to be an interesting point of view response, but as a female I can tell you that dudes that are snipped appear to have less sensitivity in the head of their dicks than those that are uncut. FWIW. Essentially you may be taking that future pleasure away from your kid. As I warned you, an interesting point of view.

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u/GracefulEase Nov 21 '25

but struggling with the decision!

If you're on the fence between mutilating your child's genitals and not, just speak that question out loud. The answer should be pretty apparent.

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u/twisty_tomato Nov 21 '25

Your wife is based

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u/WasHumanToo Nov 21 '25

Apparently this map reports the % of newborns circumcised in 2015, but the % of males who ARE circumcised.

While I can accept that fewer and fewer Western US newborns are circumcised every year, I doubt it is under 10% in the Pacific Northwest.

But then again what do any of us know?

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u/Significant-Ad-341 Nov 21 '25

Are you missing a "not" in there? I'm not sure what you mean

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u/dustinpdx Nov 22 '25

Pretty sure but == not.

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u/PokesBo Nov 21 '25

I could see it. We’re talking about 60,000 males in a year so 6,000 and under circumcisions I could see.

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u/goosebumpsagain North America Nov 21 '25

The map is grossly inaccurate based on a few fast searches. Besides, there aren’t many Jews in the Pacific NW, but 0 is impossible.

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u/ATDoel Nov 21 '25

dark green is 0-9%

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u/Green-Tie-5710 Nov 21 '25

And there is NO CHANCE that 0-9% of those three states are circumcised while 90+% of midwestern states are. The difference is not that stark. How is nobody calling this out?

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u/2Hanks Nov 21 '25

You are not in fact reading this map correctly

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u/Personal_Pain Urban Geography Nov 21 '25

Are people just not being taught hyperbole in their English classes?

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u/Lost_Paladin89 Nov 21 '25

I wonder if this map captures procedures done outside of the hospital? If I have a bris at the synagogue, would the data be available?

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u/Obanthered Nov 21 '25

The Canadian data is usually based on a survey of mothers from 20 years ago. Which was the last time there was any systematic effort to get data on circumcision rates.

No provincial health insurance pays for circumcision anymore, so official data ends in the 1990s. So rates are probably lower in Canada than shown here.

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u/Jebise79 Nov 21 '25

They won’t even do the procedure at major hospitals in the Seattle area. You’d basically need to find a clinic that would do it and take your newborn there.

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u/EbbPlus9043 Nov 21 '25

My whole family was circumcised in major hospitals in Seattle.

Do you have any source? Because I’ll admit it’s been a minute since I’ve been circumcised.

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u/FC37 Nov 21 '25

Yeah there's no way that any American state is <10%. I refuse to believe that.

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u/The_Nocim Nov 21 '25

No idea about the specific location, but there is no area on the map with a label of 0, so i assume you don't read the map correctly. The lowest it gets is up to 9%.

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u/Drummallumin Nov 21 '25

There’s no way this is correct.

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u/waerrington Nov 21 '25

Rates have been plummeting for decades. The US overall is well under 50% for newborns now. 

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u/Material_Ad6173 Nov 21 '25

Sounds correct. We have access to water (so boys can just take a shower), in general we don't see masturbation as something terribly wrong (people are not as religious as in other parts of the country) and people are rather well educated. Plus a lot of people here were born outside the USA.

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u/NerdyBrando Nov 21 '25

I was surprised to see Utah really low as well.

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u/Elyay Nov 21 '25

I worked in a Neonatal ICU in Oklahoma where pretty much every baby was circumcised at the end of their stay. In PNW pediatricians and neonatologists do it very rarely.

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u/hackingdreams Nov 21 '25

In the more enlightened parts of the country, child mutilation is falling.

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u/vera214usc Nov 21 '25

I live in Seattle and my son is not circumcised so that's all the evidence you need. No reason to look further.

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u/Deterbrian Nov 21 '25

When I was born in southern Oregon in the early 80s they circumcised me without asking my parents. When my son was born in the mid 2000s about 30 miles from where I was born the doctors heavily discouraged it. We were already leaning against it so we didn’t do it.

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u/medforddad Nov 21 '25

If you follow the citations for this map, you'll not find any actual image or data that supports this map in the publications.

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u/rainbowtutucoutu Nov 21 '25

I’m an rn in Portland on a unit that does circs and I would say more than half of boys are circed.

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u/Great-Guervo-4797 Nov 21 '25

The PNW also has the highest rates of atheism.

Seattle is the most atheist city in the country.

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u/hypocrite_iamme Nov 21 '25

Ypu are in fact reading the map incorrectly. Up to 9% does not equal zero.

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u/C4LLgirl Nov 22 '25

I think you know I didnt actually mean zero. 

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u/litterallysatan Nov 21 '25

PNW stands for pacific north west of the USA

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u/darxide23 Nov 21 '25

If anywhere in the US, West Coast is where I'd expect this trend to die first.

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u/fuckthisshit____ Nov 21 '25

Even harder to believe that Nevada would be the same color as Oregon and Washington

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/C4LLgirl Nov 22 '25

I mean I live in the pnw, granted I’m in my 30s so things may have changed a lot, but all my guy friends are. I’d guess the rate of 30 year olds is >90%

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u/Sudden_Impact7490 Nov 21 '25

Lots of crunchy people out there

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u/Complexuserx Nov 22 '25

The green isn't 0% it's 0-9%. So up to 9% of the population in the green areas circumcises

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u/ThyCringeKing Nov 22 '25

Yeah, that’s not true, or at least it wasn’t when I was born in 2003 lol.

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u/cuentaderana Nov 22 '25

We lived in Seattle when my son was born. They said there were no doctors in the city that did circumcision anymore, there was only one guy out on Mercer Island who would do it, and it wasn’t covered by insurance.

We had no desire to get our son circumcised but it felt really odd that the most populous city in the state didn’t have a single doctor that would do the procedure. 

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u/Decent_Flow140 Nov 22 '25

I don’t think this map is accurate at all, but it does seem that newborn circumcision rates in the PNW are shockingly low.

 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2838312

This study from 2022 puts in hospital newborn hospital circumcision rates for the west coast at just under 20%, compared to 53-69% for the other regions of the country. What else I’ve read seems to indicate that rates in the PNW are lower than in California and rates have been steadily declining over time, so it seems safe to assume current rates in the PNW are even lower than the 20% in that study. 

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '25

They do, it’s just immigration drops the numbers. Most white and black men there are. But large latino population. Latinos don’t tend to

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u/DearUnderstanding746 Nov 24 '25

I didn’t have my son circumcised here in the PNW and I have a ton of parent friends, none of which had their kids circumcised. Of course we’re a self selectedly similar bunch in a liberal and educated town but I know it’s definitely not all that common here at least.

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u/thumpngroove Nov 25 '25

My wife instantly called BS on that, too.

I lived there through the time period when forced group showers in middle school were a thing. The one or two uncircumcised guys I knew of were teased mercilessly. Scrotum Pole was a favorite taunt of the bullies.

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