Deciding whether or not you should circumcise your newborn is an extremely personal decision, and not one to be made lightly. Talking with your obstetrician about his or her experience in performing circumcisions and getting their advice regarding the best optimal health of your child is a great way to start.

However, there are many reasons that parents choose to circumcise their newborns, and most fall under personal beliefs, religious traditions, and/or medical reasons. Relatively speaking, circumcision is a simple surgical procedure whose benefits outweigh any converse effects. The medical benefits for circumcised males are plentiful.

Circumcised newborns have a lower chance of developing Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), which can occur up to 10 times as much in uncircumcised newborns, in addition to having less urological problems in general. Because UTIs can be traumatic on newborns, complications can lead to kidney failure, meningitis and bone marrow infection, all of which can be fatal in some cases. Other medical reasons have a much longer shelf life, with circumcision making men less vulnerable to penile cancer, thrush, and STDs, including HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea. The rate at which uncircumcised males develop penile cancer is over 20 times higher than circumcised males, a condition that can require amputation at best and is fatal at worst. General irritation, inflammation and infection of the genitals are more common with uncircumcised males, resulting in uncomfortable conditions such as balanitis, posthitis, phimosis and paraphimosis. Surprisingly enough, even women are at risk for complications if their sexual partner is not circumcised- including cervical cancer, chlamydia, genital herpes, ectopic pregnancy, and even infertility.

Some parents feel that circumcision leads to better genital hygiene, and feel it is easier to keep an infant’s circumcised penis clean and later teach their son how to do the same. Socially speaking, circumcised males experience fewer problems in achieving erections, especially during the crucial sexual development period of puberty. And one cannot disregard the aesthetic reasons for electing this procedure, as there is a pervasive social preference for a circumcised penis, which many women (and men) find more attractive.

It is even possible that your child may end up developing a condition that will require circumcision as treatment later in life, when the cost will be more expensive, the experience more traumatic, the procedure less convenient, and the result not as cosmetically appealing as when it is done as a newborn. Overall, the decision to circumcise your newborn will give your child many medical, health and sexual benefits throughout their lifetime.

Posted in Circumcision

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