Forcibly retracted at age 5 - circumcised at 19.

I am a (now retired) Registered Nurse in Connecticut, USA. My father was uncircumcised, but my mother was pro-circumcision and when I was born (1950) they gave permission for me to be circumcised, but somehow it was overlooked and didn't happen. I paid dearly for that hospital's mistake. My parents didn't take me back for circumcisions – my mother was suffering from post-natal depression, and my father was back at work. But at age 5 a doctor forcibly retracted my foreskin - me screaming and bleeding as his ripped my foreskin back with no anaesthesia. The pain of that is one of my earliest memories. Baths twice a day after that. I ended up with a long redundant foreskin and a thick painful frenulum.

My cousins and all my friends were circumcised. My Jewish friends of course were, and my Afro-American friend (a really good friend) – yes, we saw each other's penises. His was huge, but a beautiful 2 tone. At high school everyone was - as I said I lived in a Jewish neighbourhood (though I am Catholic). Also at my inner city elementary school (there were no Latinos there at that time). I don't remember anyone else being uncircumcised in my school days.

I met my wife-to-be on my first day at the University of Connecticut. We were both nursing students – I was the only male. We got married in the summer and have now been married for 54 years. Sex was somewhat spoilt by the foreskin rolling over the knob. However, shortly after our marriage a mole started to appear on my foreskin. A general surgeon took a look and then a urologist (I knew both of them) and they said this has to be biopsied. Rather than just cut it out (given the vibes of penile cancer) he said it was best to remove it by circumcision. Since I wasn't having great sex with the foreskin rolling over itself, I said ok. It had to be a low and tight job, with the frenulum removed, because of the position of the mole, but that seems to be a popular style anyway. By day 3-4, I had to be back in class. That was uncomfortable. Sex the first time, I barely got inside my wife and ejaculated. Of course refractory time was fast and I was soon back in. We had a great sex life. My wife never asked me to be circumcised., but at one point shortly after, she whispered "I like it" - short, simple.

My sister had two sons and didn't hesitate to circumcise them, knowing my pain I had been through. We were trying for a family (and enjoying it) but it didn't work out so we sought help. They test men first, my sperm count was very high, motility good (a bit embarrassing giving my cup to the secretary). But my wife had severe endometriosis. So we never could have children. We put in an adoption request to Catholic family services. Last semester at nursing school we got a call. We had nothing! It wasn't supposed happen so quickly. Our adopted daughter is 45 now. She has 3 sons by two partners, all circumcised (her preference), and two daughters. I had to break a post-circumcision skin bridge on one grandson. I was nervous as hell as the MD walked me through it on the phone. But it was all good. So we are now an all-circumcised family.

RM