If you are deciding whether or not to circumcise your new baby boy, there are many different things that you should take into consideration. For some people, religious reasons shape the decision. For others, it can be harder to decide. Are there risks involved in circumcision?
There are very few risks of circumcision. They are bleeding, infection, and pain. Usually, though, the risks of bleeding and infection are very low due to proper medical care and pain can be avoided through the use of pain medication during the procedure.
Some benefits of circumcision which are minimal are the decreased risk of a urinary tract infection (UTI) before the age of one, and the decreased risk of penile cancer. The reason that these benefits are not seen as very important are because the risk of a UTI among babies that young is so small and also because penile cancer is a very rare condition.
A significant health benefit may come in the form of the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. The Parents website’s page “Should your Son be Circumcised?” states, “A 2006 study in the journal Pediatrics found that uncircumcised men are three times more likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) than men who have been circumcised, and a Kenyan study in the Lancet found that circumcision reduced the risk of HIV infection in heterosexual men by as much as 60 percent.” There are still studies being done to find out how being circumcised cuts the risks of STDs.
Some people feel strongly in favor of circumcision if the child’s father is circumcised. They believe that their baby boy should look like its father. This is something to take into consideration if it’s important to you.
An uncircumcised penis is just as easy to clean while your son is a baby. You want to make sure not to retract the foreskin until it is able to be done so naturally, which usually occurs around the age of five. Once this begins to happen, it is important to teach your son how to move the skin, clean the head, and put the skin back.
The decision seems to amount to a simple case of preference. Most doctors are neither for or against the procedure. One of the reasons that more and more boys will not be circumcised is because of the fact that it may not be a procedure which is covered by most health insurance providers. Since it is not a necessary surgery, they do not feel the need to include it. These are the risks, reasons, and latest findings concerning circumcision. If you do not feel right making the decision for your son, keep him natural and let him decide if he wants circumcision later in his life.
Sources: “Should Your Son be Circumcised?”, Parents.
