Dear Pastor,

I am 27, and an only child for my mother. I am still living at home.

I have had girlfriends and have had sex with some of them, but now it is time for me to get married.

My girlfriend and I have never had sex. She is active in the Church and so am I, but I have shown her my private part. She said I should go to a doctor and be circumcised because she does not like to see the foreskin on my penis. She said it looks ugly. I felt embarrassed and was sorry I had shown it to her. No sex can go on unless I get circumcised, she said

Is circumcision safe, pastor?

P.S.

Dear P.S.,

A male can be circumcised at any age. Your girlfriend is insisting you do this minor operation. It is not a big deal, but that decision is strictly yours. Some women prefer to have sex with men who are not. Others prefer men who were not circumcised. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

The purpose of the foreskin of the penis is to cover the glans, the tip of the penis.

When a man is uncircumcised, he should take special care in cleaning his penis when having a bath.

Removing the foreskin of your penis is entirely up to you. If you want to please your woman, be prepared to spend some money to be circumcised. Evidently, this woman wants to see an attractive penis. According to what you said, she told you yours is ugly. If you plan to marry her, as you said, perhaps you should not fight the issue.

Pastor