May 16th, 2016
Circumcision refers to a common cultural (and in some cases religious) practice that deals with removal of skin from the tip of penis via micro-invasive surgery. Despite high prevalence and immense health benefits, there is a great deal of debate around the relevance of this surgery among general population. A lot of people around the globe consider it a barbaric practice and believes that the surgery is unnecessary. But what does the research and clinical study say? Should you consider circumcision for your boy?
The answer is Yes!
The aim of this article is to answer your questions and queries with evidence-based research and scientific reasoning.
In many Islamic and Jewish families as well as some tribes of Africa and Australia, circumcision is performed regularly as a religious and cultural ritual. Besides a ritual or family tradition, sometimes there is a medical indication of circumcision, such as when foreskin is too tight that it cannot be retracted over the glans and other similar reasons where normal functioning of penis is not possible unless circumcision is performed. Other common indications include:
According to The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the benefits of having circumcision are greater than the potential risks. AAP doesn’t recommend circumcision as a routine practice for all newborn boys; however, they leave the right to make the decision for parents. The procedure is ideally performed under local anesthesia.
Circumcision has various health benefits which are statically proved by a number of research studies; a few are:
Once circumcised, it is not possible to re-create the uncircumcised appearance. However, circumcision does not affects the fertility of a man nor does it reduces the sexual pleasure for the individual or his partner.
The most common risk or complications of circumcision is bleeding. Therefore, it is not recommended in babies who are born with blood clotting disorders. Some genetically susceptible babies can also develop moderate to severe side effects from anesthesia given during the circumcision procedure; hence caution must be maintained. In addition, circumcision should not be performed on the premature babies who needs medical care in a hospital nursery.
Although very rarely but circumcision can cause foreskin problems, such as:
1. Earp, B. D. (2015). Do the benefits of male circumcision outweigh the risks? A critique of the proposed CDC guidelines. Frontiers in pediatrics, 3.
2. McBride, D. L. (2013). Circumcision benefits outweigh risks, but parents should choose according to revised AAP policy. Journal of pediatric nursing, 28(1), 89.
3. Auvert, B., Taljaard, D., Lagarde, E., Sobngwi-Tambekou, J., Sitta, R., & Puren, A. (2005). Randomized, controlled intervention trial of male circumcision for reduction of HIV infection risk: the ANRS 1265 Trial. PLos med, 2(11), e298.
4. Lee, S. J., Cho, H., Yim, H. E., Kim, S., Lee, E. B., Song, I. H., … & Kim, K. G. (2015). Clinical Guideline for Childhood Urinary Tract Infection (Second Revision). Childhood Kidney Diseases, 19(2), 56-64.