While circumcision rates are declining in the U.S., more than half of male infants still get circumcised. But being circumcised as a baby isn't the only time you can get the procedure done. Some adults undergo the surgery due to religious or medical reasons. Here, John*, a 36-year-old banker from the northeast who underwent an adult circumcision in his 20s because of phimosis (a condition in which the foreskin can't be pulled back), talks about his experience.



I was born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from Vietnam. Growing up in the midwest, I was self-conscious of the fact that I was the only one of my classmates who wasn't circumcised (I went to a Catholic school where I was the only minority student in class).

Before puberty, this difference was definitely on my mind, and I remember asking my dad about the possibility of getting circumcised after infancy. But, after growing up and discovering the pleasure of sex with foreskin, I learned to enjoy it.

Of course, just as I was at the age when I appreciated not being circumcised, I had to get it done as an adult.

The yeast infection from hell

It all started the summer after I graduated college. I thought I had the flu, so I was drinking a lot of ginger ale and not really eating anything besides canned pineapple and lychee.



During this time, I noticed that I couldn't pull my foreskin back all the way and there was this white substance on my penis, that, at first, I thought was linty toilet paper residue. Later, I realized it was smegma, which I had never seen on my penis before. I didn't think much of it, but after a few days, I was like, "something's wrong," so I went to a clinic, scared that I had an STI. Immediately, the doctors at the clinic diagnosed me with a yeast infection. I thought only women got them, but they explained to me that men get them, too. The doctors didn't take blood work or anything, instead, just vaguely told me to keep it clean and wait for it to get better. But the pain only got worse.

So bad, in fact, I had to go to the emergency room. It was there that I was diagnosed as diabetic. Yep. I didn't have the flu, my body was just sick from having so much sugar in my system. This excess sugar was also the culprit behind the yeast infection.

Once my blood sugar was taken care of and the swelling from the yeast infection went down, I realized the opening of the foreskin was still tiny. I could barely pee out of it without hitting it. Before, I could just unzip my pants, pull the foreskin back, and pee—but now, I had to look down and aim it correctly, taking time to line up the opening because it was so small, just to urinate.

I went back to the doctor, who determined it was phimosis—an inability to retract the foreskin because its still attached to the glans, which is most commonly seen in uncircumcised infants and toddlers, but can also happen to adult men. They said I could leave it as it was, but it would always be painful, and the risk of having a yeast infection again with my diabetes would still be there, so it was highly recommended that I get an adult circumcision.

Making the decision

I asked if there were any other non-surgical alternatives, because I didn't want a circumcision, but my doc told me that it'd probably be better for me in the long run. He didn't force me, but it was implied that if I wanted to have normal sex again, and prevent future yeast infections, I should get the surgery.



I just wanted to know that my penis would be okay

I was facing a lot of medical shockers at once (diabetes? yeast infections? phimosis?), and like a typical dude, I was most worried about "Am I going to be able to have sex again?"



I just wanted to know that my penis would be okay.

As a fresh out of college guy, I wasn't having the most sex on a consistent basis... but I was still having some. And sex seemed impossible with phimosis. I only tried to have it once, and even with a lot of lube, it hurt like hell. Masturbation was also super painful and off the table.

So, I quickly made the decision to go through with the surgery (also: I was still under my mom's insurance, but would soon be taken off it, so time was a-ticking). I basically had a day between the docs telling me "you need the surgery" and a final decision to think about it.



The surgery process

I didn't want to be conscious for it, so I made them put me under anesthesia. The procedure didn't take long (probably two hours tops), but the pain when I got home was horrible.



I had to cowboy walk around my apartment. And at one point, the bandage actually fell off. I saw the area with all its blood and stitches, and immediately started dry heaving.

I stayed home for a week, wearing an extra long T-shirt and no pants, just to air out the area (everything was so sensitive there). I remember I could only pee while I was in the shower, because I didn't want to touch my penis to aim it or anything.

The aftermath



If I had known there were other options other than surgery before I got yeast infection (ones where I could get even 80% functionality back in my penis), I would've waited. But based on what I was told by the doctors, they really recommended it as the best-case scenario if I wanted to ever have a healthy, active sex life without recurring yeast infections. I was kind of resigned to that, and also the fact that if I had the surgery, I'd be able to have sex again (whereas with phimosis, I couldn't).



It was like having a decent car, then having to downgrade to a worse car. You'll take the worse car because it's better than having to take the bus... but still.

It was like having a decent car, then having to downgrade to a worse car.

Honestly, at the time, I didn't know what a huge decision I was making.

What sex feels like now

I think sex would be better if I still had the foreskin. There's definitely less sensitivity now, and it takes me a while to ejaculate.



With my previous girlfriend, I was never able to ejaculate through sex with her. We would have sex for three hours, and I still couldn't orgasm. I was exhausted, and she was exhausted. With my current partner, I can orgasm in an hour and a half, but after an hour, we both get really tired. Before the surgery, I could orgasm in under three minutes. I could also orgasm from getting a blowjob, but now I can't.

I've researched and tried to teach myself to orgasm faster; I've spoken to my doctor and the urologist about it, and it seems like everything else health-wise is fine. All signs point to this complication not being an erectile issue, just that the tip of my penis is less sensitive than it was before.

Final thoughts on circumcision



If I have a son, I wouldn't circumcise him. Eventually, when he's a mature adult, I want him to experience sex at its finest, and I think if you have your foreskin, the sex will be better. It's like having a kid run a marathon with Skechers instead of Nikes: You want them to have the best equipment, and foreskin is the best equipment.

"Honestly, at the time, I didn't know what a huge decision I was making."

If you're an adult, it's your body, your decision. I believe you shouldn't push your ideas onto anyone else. If I were an eccentric multimillionaire, I wouldn't run billboards or trucks saying "save the foreskin" and things like that, but if someone asks me about my experience, I'd tell them, "Hey, if I could turn back time like Cher, I would not have it." Or, I would have prevented the things in my life (like diabetes) that lead me to having the surgery so that I wouldn't have needed it for a medical reason.

Carina Hsieh Sex & Relationships Editor Carina Hsieh lives in NYC with her French Bulldog Bao Bao — follow her on Instagram and Twitter • Candace Bushnell once called her the Samantha Jones of Tinder • She enjoys hanging out in the candle aisle of TJ Maxx and getting lost in Amazon spirals.

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