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Definition of Circumcision
Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin from the penis. It is usually performed within the weeks after birth. Approximately 60-75 percent of all American males are circumcised. (1)
Medical Reasons to Circumcise
The most common non-religious reason cited for circumcision is medical.
Parents chose to circumcise their sons because of:
A) Penile Health - Some parents believe or are told that their son’s unretractable foreskin is a problem and needs to be treated. However, the foreskin normally doesn’t retract until about age five, and, in some cases, not until the teenage years. (2)
Phimosis, which is when the foreskin cannot be retracted, is usually the result of poor hygiene and recurrent episodes of inflammation. (3)
Paraphimosis, when the retracted foreskin cannot return to its original position, and balanoposthitis, inflammation of the head of the penis and foreskin in uncircumcised men are even rarer.
Inflammation of the opening of the penis (meatitis) is actually more commonly seen in circumcised boys as a result of exposure of the glans due to circumcision. (1)
B) Cancer of the Penis – Cancer of the penis affects one in 600 American men and about 25 percent of those diagnosed with this type of cancer die. This cancer occurs almost exclusively in uncircumcised men. “In five major research studies, no man who had been circumcised as a newborn developed cancer of the penis.” (1)
Urinary Tract Infections and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
C) Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) – “A circumcised infant boy has about a 1 in 1,000 chance of developing a UTI in the first year of life; an uncircumcised infant boy has about a 1 in 100 chance….” (5) Circumcision prevents the growth of bacteria under the foreskin although simple cleaning of an uncircumcised penis can prevent UTIs. (2)
D) Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) - Three African studies have shown that an uncircumcised penis can harbor STD bacteria for type 2 herpes, human papillomavirus, gonorrhea or syphilis, among others, and pass them on. (1)
Researchers still don’t know which circumcised or uncircumcised boys will experience any of these infections or diseases. And the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stated that “there is no absolute medical indication for routine circumcision of the newborn. ” (1)
However, parents need to consider the potential health benefits and risks when deciding whether or not to have their son circumcised.
Sources:
1) “Circumcision: Medical Pros and Cons” Perlstein, David. MedicineNet.com. Web. Sept 11, 2012.
http://www.medicinenet.com/circumcision_the_medical_pros_and_cons/article.htm
2) Newborns: Care of the Uncircumcised Penis: Guidelines for Parents. American Academy of Pediatrics. Web. Sept 11, 2012.
http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/aap/
3) Phimosis and Paraphimosis. Ghory, Hina Z. Medscape.com. Web. Sept 11, 2012.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/777539-overview#a0104
4) Circumcision. American Academy of Pediatrics. Web. Sept 11, 2012.
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/pages/Circumcision.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token
Reviewed September 11, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith
Add a Comment18 Comments
There wasn't room in the scope of this article to cover this part of the issue. I do address it in my other article about some of the non-medical reasons for circumcision.
September 13, 2012 - 6:05pmThis Comment
They brand men like a herd of cows. "Neonatal post-traumatic stress disorder" -- the recurrent American nightmare for boys. American men are such wimps to let their sons be subjected to this absurd surgery. If it were women tied down & cut, the Feminists would be howling all over the world. The male genitals are a cheap commodity. There is no argument too absurd for the circumcisers. They insult the appearance of the intact penis, claim that circumcision heals everything from body warts to HIV, and draw an illogical distinction between female & male genitals. Circumcision is the mark of a slave, not a free man.
Top Ten Tortures Less Painful Than Circumcision
10. Get waterboarded.
9. Pull out your fingernails.
8. Eat a pile of steaming bear crap.
7. Skin yourself alive.
6. Fall into a vat of molten iron.
5. Get run over by a train.
4. Go through a sausage grinder.
3. Saw off your legs.
2. Poke out your eyes.
1. Go To Hell
~Dick-Scalper
September 11, 2012 - 5:52pmThis Comment
Circumcision is traumatic and causes sexual and psychological harm. For more information see http://www.circumcision.org .
September 11, 2012 - 4:58pmThis Comment
There is a lot wrong with this article, including over-reliance on the misinformation put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP is a trade association of doctors who make a profit doing circumcisions. Their literature is oriented toward sustaining the income stream from circumcisions.
It is not well established that the average age of first foreskin retraction is 10.4 years, with one-half being sooner and one-half being later. The five year figure is based erroneous information that was first published in 1949.
The African studies cited by this article have been proven to be so much BS. A recent study from Puerto Rico found more STDs and HIV infection in circumcised men as compared with intact men.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22897699
One must be extremely careful about health claims made for circumcision. Most turn out to be false.
September 11, 2012 - 4:22pmThis Comment
This Comment
I believe Anonymous meant to write “It is NOW well established that the average age of first foreskin retraction is 10.4 years…”
September 12, 2012 - 12:33amThis Comment
Cancer of the penis actually affects only about 1 in 100,000 men, not 1 in 600 as reported in the article. It is a very rare form of cancer.
See here:-
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/statistics/penile.htm
Government stats are more reliable than what someone prints in an article like the one referenced inthe sources. Thankyou.
September 11, 2012 - 3:32pmThis Comment
Thank you for adding to the information.
September 13, 2012 - 5:59pmThis Comment