Circumcision: Benefits, Risks and the Decision for Parents

Circumcision is surgery to remove the foreskin, the loose skin that covers the tip of the penis. In the United States it is often done before a newborn goes home from the hospital.

Making the decision

Whether to circumcise a baby is the parents' decision. Religious, cultural and personal preferences all count, along with the medical benefits and risks, and parents can talk these through with the baby's health care provider first.

Possible benefits

• a lower risk of HIV and some other sexually transmitted infections (STIs);
• a slightly lower risk of urinary tract infections in the first year of life, and of penile cancer later, though both are rare in all males, circumcised or not;
• prevention of some penile problems, such as foreskin infections and phimosis, a foreskin that cannot be pulled back;
• easier hygiene.

Risks

• a low risk of bleeding, infection or scarring;
• a very low risk of removing too much or too little skin;
• pain, which can be eased by asking the provider to apply a numbing medicine.

These risks are higher when the procedure is done on older babies, boys or men.

Other things to know

• Premature babies and babies born with health problems should not be circumcised until they are healthy.
• After circumcision, ask the provider how to care for the penis while it heals.
• If a baby is not circumcised, the provider can show parents how to keep the penis clean. A newborn's foreskin may not pull back fully; over time it retracts on its own.

Sources

• MedlinePlus, produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Circumcision": https://medlineplus.gov/circumcision.html