ONGOING EDUCATION

The links below will lead you to information on a variety of topics that may be helpful to you as you raise your intact child.

Wrongful Foreskin Retraction
"As an international physicians’ organization, we deeply apologize for the conduct of our fellow professional, and for the unnecessary injury done to your son. American health care professionals are often not well trained or familiar with the normal, intact penis, which can lead to inappropriate and even harmful care or advice."

Yeast & Irritation
"Swelling and redness, sometimes accompanied by discharge and/or pain/discomfort, in the absence of fever, are signs of yeast." Tips and tricks for identifying and treating yeast.

Ballooning
"Ballooning is a normal and harmless occurrence for many children with intact penises. At birth, the foreskin is fused to the glans (head) of the penis by a delicate membrane. This connective tissue dissolves naturally over time due to hormonal changes and natural exploration. Eventually, the child will be able to retract their foreskin completely once the membrane has fully dissolved."

Urate Crystals
New parents are sometimes concerned to find dark pinkish-orange spots in their intact baby’s diaper during the first few days of life, and worry it might be blood the baby’s urine. In almost all of these cases, however, the substance that looks remarkably like blood in a diaper is actually not blood at all, but rather what is known as urate crystals.*

Smegma (with Images)
"Imagine that you’re changing your two-year-old child’s diaper one day and you notice a lump on their penis that you hadn’t seen before. If you had to describe it, you’d call it a cyst. It is a little squishy and might even shift around when you press on it. You are worried and immediately call to schedule an appointment with the pediatrician."

Five Myths About Intact Care “The decision to leave a baby’s penis intact often brings with it many fears and questions. Here are five common worries that first-time parents have when it comes to taking care of their kids’ parts...debunked.”

Smegma and the Intact Penis
"Smegma is the naturally occurring collection of secretions by sebaceous (oil) glands located in the foreskin, combined with seminal fluids from the Cowper’s gland and prostate, along with mucus secretions from the urethral glands, and sloughed epithelial (skin) cells. This mixture provides a necessary mucosal lubricant and moisturizer and is rich in sexual pheromones."

Proper Care of the Intact Penis from Infant to Teenager
"The male foreskin is fused to the head of the penis at birth (just like the female foreskin- the clitoral hood- is normally fused to the glans of infant and young preadolescent girls). This is the body's way of protecting the genitals against urine and feces. Because it is fused shut, bacteria and other foreign particles cannot invade."

Red Foreskins in Children: What Does it Mean?
"It is important to remember that the very tip of the foreskin (the preputial orifice) is normally rose-colored. This is because the tissue starts to change from an outer skin to an inner skin. However, when the tip of the foreskin becomes extra red or inflamed in an infant, the culprit is usually irritation from diapers."

Canadian Medical Pamphlet on Intact Care
"When babies are born the prepuce is fused to the head of the penis much like the fingernail is to the nail bed. As a child grows, the process of separation starts (prepuce separating from the clitoris or penis glans). This process can start shortly after birth, or it may not be until the teenage years, and in some cases even into adulthood."

Phimosis in Children
"Phimosis needs to be differentiated from non-retractile prepuce, which is the rule in young children. Doctors should be taught on distinguishing these two types of phimosis in order to avoid parental anxiety and needless referrals to urologists for circumcisions. Newer nonsurgical modalities such as topical steroids and adhesiolysis are effective, safe, and cheap for phimosis in children. Parents should be made aware of these measures to treat phimosis. If surgery is indeed needed, conservative plastic surgical techniques should be performed rather than the traditional circumcision. This would help the patients, their family, and the healthcare as well as the society at large."

Hypospadias
Personal observations and links to further research. 

My Son Needs to be Re-Circumcised? (YWB update of article from The Whole Network)
"A circumcision revision surgery, or “re-circumcision,” has been recommended. As a parent, you love your child and you just want what’s best for them, which is why you may be asking yourself, “Is this surgery really necessary?”

Common Questions About Loose Circumcisions (YWB update of article from The Whole Network)
Here, find answers to common concerns from parents whose children were circumcised "loosely," with some degree of foreskin remaining.

Do you know a doctor's office that forcibly retracts children’s foreskins or instructs parents to retract to clean their child's penis? We will send educational material to the doctor's office. In addition, contact Doctors Opposing Circumcision to file a formal complaint.