Circumcision

Circumcision is the surgical removal of all or part of the foreskin covering the end of the penis.

The decision to have an infant male circumcised is very personal and should only be made after careful consideration. The following information is provided to help you make an informed decision. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns with your health-care providers.

Benefits of male circumcision

1. Cleanliness — Under certain circumstances, dirt, sand, lint, and other irritants can collect under the foreskin and cause inflammation and infection. Male circumcision helps to prevent this type of irritation and makes it easier to clean the head of the penis.
2. Prevention of paraphimosis, an extremely rare condition that occurs when the foreskin becomes retracted or pulled down below the tip of the penis and becomes stuck. The tissue can become swollen and can decrease the blood flow to the tip of the penis, requiring urgent surgery to correct the problem. Circumcision prevents this complication from occurring.
3. Decreased risk of urinary tract infections. Circumcision decreases the risk of urinary tract infections in males, both infants and adults. Uncircumcised infants have a 1% chance of acquiring a urinary tract infection. This type of infection is 10 times less common in circumcised infants, for whom there is only a 0.1% chance of developing a urinary tract infection.
4. Decreased risk of HIV infection. Circumcision has been proved to help prevent female to male transmission of HIV, reducing the risk of transmission by 60-70%.
5. Decreased risk of other sexually transmitted diseases. Circumcision has been proved to help protect against contracting genital herpes and some other sexually transmitted diseases.
6. Prevention of cancer of the penis. Cancer of the penis is extremely rare but occurs much more commonly in men who are uncircumcised than in those who are circumcised.
7. Prevention of cervical cancer in female sexual partners. Cervical cancer is less common in women who have sexual partners who are circumcised. Sex with either uncircumcised men or men circumcised after infancy increases a women's risk of cervical cancer.
8. Avoiding the need for circumcision later in life. Some uncircumcised males will require circumcision later in life for medical reasons.

Risks of male circumcision

1. Lack of informed consent. An infant cannot consent to the procedure. The decision must be made by the family. The procedure is considered permanent and there is a risk that when the child is older he will be unhappy he was circumcised as an infant.
2. Pain. This can be reduced and even eliminated with the use of safe and effective medications. Please discuss the use of pain medication with your health-care team.
3. Surgical risk. Complications during male circumcision are rare, being estimated to occur in 1 of every 500 procedures. These complications, which can be severe, include poor cosmetic outcome, bleeding, infection, injury to the penis, and the removal of too much or too little skin.
4. Expense. There may be a cost associated with the procedure.
5. Change in sexual satisfaction. Some people believe that circumcision leads to decreased sexual pleasure later in life. Data recently collected from a large group of adult males who underwent circumcision later in life suggest that there is no change in sexual satisfaction between circumcised and uncircumcised men and their partners. However, some patients may be unhappy that they were circumcised.