Should an infant be circumcised

Answer 1

No major medical association recommends routine circumcision of infant boys. Circumcision caries with it serious risks of adverse outcomes including prolonged bleeding and infection. Circumcision also removes a normal part of the male genitals that functions to protect the delicate head of the penis. Removal of the foreskin can cause decreased sensitivity of the penis and pleasure during sexual intercourse. For these reasons most physicians recommend against circumcision. An uncircumcised penis requires no care until the boy can retract the foreskin, usually by age 3. He should simply wash the head of the penis with soap and water during his regular bath or shower just like any other part of the body. If you wish to have your newborn circumcised without anesthesia, it will cost $400-$500 (U.S. dollars). The cost depends on where you live. Infant circumcision is not covered by national health care in places like the United Kingdom and Canada. Infant circumsion is also not covered by most health insurances in the United States. While most infant circumcisions do not have serious complications, there are risks to the procedure, including pain, bleeding, and infection. Every year in the United States, there are a substantial numbers of deaths due to infant circumcision, most of which result from infection. There are also a significant number of irreversible injuries to the penis that occur during circumcision each year. Circumcision is far less common now in the United States than it once was. During the 1970s and 1980, around 80% of male infants were circumcised in the United States. A study conducted in the United States from 2005-2007 found that circumcision rates had fallen to below 40% in most of the United States. In the western United States, fewer than 25% of infant males were circumcised in 2005-2007.

Answer 2

No major medical body recommends the routine circumcision of infants or boys. Circumcision generally should not be performed unless there is a medical reason making it necessary. Circumcision has risks of adverse events including pain, prolonged bleeding, infection, complications of sedation or anesthesia, and surgical error resulting in damage to the penis. Every year in the United States, there are some deaths following infant circumcision, most of which result from infection.

Complications are also common after circumcision if the remaining skin grows to fuse with the head of the penis. This disfigures the penis head and makes further surgery on the penis necessary. Circumcision has also been shown to reduce the sensitivity of the penis, making sex less pleasurable once your son is an adult. For these reasons most physicians recommend against circumcision. An uncircumcised penis requires no care until the boy can retract the foreskin, usually sometime between age 3 and puberty. He should simply wash the head of the penis with soap and water during his regular bath or shower just like any other part of the body. If you wish to have your newborn circumcised without anesthesia, it will cost $400-$500 (U.S. dollars). Circumcision is not covered by health insurance as it is an elective procedure. Infant circumcision is not covered by national health care in places like the United Kingdom and Canada. Circumcision of children will be more expensive since general anesthesia must be used since the boy will not stay still during the procedure while the surgeon is performing the circumcision.

Circumcision is far less common now in the United States than it once was. During the 1970s and 1980, around 80% of male infants were circumcised in the United States. A study conducted in the United States from 2006-2008 found that circumcision rates had fallen to below 40% in most of the United States. In the western United States, fewer than 25% of infant males were circumcised in 2006-2008.

Answer 3

circumcision is done mainly for religious or cultural reasons, there is also a very small school of thought that believes that it has medical advantages. The reason this extremely painful thing is done to infants is that there is some ill founded idea that newborns have a poorly developed sense of pain and therefore it is best to get it done while they are infants. Infants cant speak and the trauma of the mutilation of renders them catatonic for a time leading people to assume they feel no pain. very few adults would put themselves through the process of having one of the most sensitive parts of the body cur of (with no pain killers)

Answer 4

Dr. Spock said "no"!

"I am in favor of leaving the penis alone. Pediatric opinion is swinging away from routine circumcision as unnecessary and at least mildly dangerous. I also believe that there is a potential danger of emotional harm resulting from the operation. Parents should insist on convincing reasons for circumcision and there are no convincing reasons that I know of (as cited in Wallerstein, 1980)."

- Dr. Benjamin Spock,

Answer 5

Circumcision is usually done for religious reasons. Followers of Islam and Judaism circumcise males at a young age (usually less than a year old).

Occasionally it's done for medical reasons. If a mature male has problems drawing back his foreskin - he can be circumcised by either applying a local or under general anaesthetic.