Circumcision why is it bad

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Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Parents deciding on circumcision Medical reasons for circumcision Reasons not to choose circumcision Circumcision of older boys and men Medical issues with circumcision Procedure for circumcision Immediately after a circumcision Complications after a circumcision Taking care of your child after circumcision Seek urgent medical attention Genital hygiene and the uncircumcised penis Where to get help.

Parents deciding on circumcision When considering circumcision for your baby, you need to be aware of the possible risks and benefits. Medical reasons for circumcision Recent research suggests that circumcision may bring medical benefits such as: a 10 times lower risk of a baby getting a urinary tract infection UTI in his first year of life remembering that only one per cent of babies are at risk of a UTI, so 1, circumcisions are needed to prevent one UTI no risk of infants and children getting infections under the foreskin easier genital hygiene much lower risk of getting cancer of the penis although this is a very rare condition and good genital hygiene also seems to reduce the risk.

More than 10, circumcisions are needed to prevent one case of penile cancer a possibly lower risk of men getting sexually transmissible infections STIs than men who are not circumcised although these studies have not been scientifically confirmed and safe sex practices are far more effective in preventing these infections.

Reasons not to choose circumcision There are also good reasons why parents choose not to have their sons circumcised, such as: wanting to avoid surgery that is not essential and that carries some risk of complications, even though these are small concern that removing the foreskin may reduce the sensitivity of the tip of the penis and reduce sexual pleasure for both partners later in life wanting to avoid the pain of circumcision, which can occur at the time of the operation and for some time after.

Circumcision of older boys and men Some older boys and men need to have a circumcision due to medical problems such as: scarring of the foreskin that stops it from retracting phimosis recurring inflammation or infections of the penis balanitis or lichen sclerosis a foreskin that is too tight and causes pain or spraying when urinating recurrent urinary tract infections.

Medical issues with circumcision If you are considering circumcision for yourself or your son, you need to discuss a range of issues with your doctor or surgeon including: medical history any possible bad reactions or side effects from the anaesthetic. Procedure for circumcision There are different methods of circumcision. Taking care of your child after circumcision Be guided by your doctor, but general suggestions include: giving your child lots of cuddles and comfort applying a little petroleum jelly or ointment on a light gauze dressing to the wound applying fresh petroleum jelly and a new gauze dressing at each nappy change.

This reduces the risk of urine irritating the wound a daily bath to keep the area as clean as possible. Circumcision of infant males , Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Because it removes healthy, typically-developed tissue, the procedure fails to meet either of the above conditions.

Circumcision of minors also stands in contradiction to other medical ethics principles, including:. Circumcision can cause skin bridges , haemorrhaging, infection, as well as major penile damage. Dozens of case studies describe severe complications, including penile amputations and death; several infant deaths have been reported in the past few years.

Paediatric urologist David M. Gibbons, commented on MensHealth. Another urologist reported repairing over 1, botched circumcisions over a three-year period. Official rates of complications are likely to be under reported.

But regardless of the actual complication rate, it is unethical to subject a child to these risks. While some use medical benefits to justify male circumcision, those gains rarely materialise in the real world, and the damage outweighs any gain. But studies of the general population have failed to find any decrease in HIV infection rates among circumcised men compared with uncircumcised men. After the foreskin is removed, it can't be put back on again.

If you don't want your baby to be circumcised, he shouldn't be circumcised. Circumcision is a decision you make because you want it for your baby.

Circumcision may not be safe if your baby is sick or weak, has a problem with his penis, or has a family history of bleeding problems.

Some swelling and slight bleeding are normal after circumcision. Your baby may be fussy and have trouble sleeping for the first few days. He may feel some pain for a few days when he urinates. For about 2 weeks, he may feel some pain whenever urine or stool touches the tip of the penis. Your baby will probably start to feel better within 3 to 4 days after circumcision.

Even though he may feel better, his penis may look worse. The penis will usually look better about 7 to 10 days after circumcision. It's important to keep your son's penis clean whether he has been circumcised or not. Keeping your young son's penis clean may help prevent infections and other problems. Problems from circumcision aren't common. If they occur, they are usually short-term, such as minor bleeding or infection. Other possible problems include pain and irritation of the tip of the penis.

Long-term problems are even more uncommon, but they can include damage to the opening of the urethra , heavy bleeding, severe infection, or scarring. Your personal preference, religion, cultural belief, or ethnic background may affect your decision.

The Canadian Paediatric Society CPS does not recommend circumcision as a routine procedure for all newborn males, but there may be benefits for some. The quality of the evidence about the benefits of circumcision is not strong. It is borderline to inconclusive. Take a group of baby boys. Circumcision may reduce their risk of having a urinary tract infection UTI within the first 15 months of life. Circumcision also may reduce the risk of phimosis, which happens when the foreskin becomes too tight to be pulled back and causes swelling or other problems.

This can be corrected easily in most cases. The quality of the evidence about the risks of circumcision is borderline. One risk of circumcision is that the procedure may cause bleeding heavy enough to require medical care.

Out of baby boys who are circumcised , 0 to 30 may have bleeding that is serious enough to need medical care. This means that 70 to may not. Some evidence is better than other evidence. Evidence comes from studies that look at how well treatments and tests work and how safe they are. For many reasons, some studies are more reliable than others.

The better the evidence is—the higher its quality—the more we can trust it. The information shown here is based on the best available evidence.

Another thing to understand is that the evidence can't predict what's going to happen in your case. When evidence tells us that 2 out of people who have a certain test or treatment may have a certain result and that 98 out of may not, there's no way to know if you will be one of the 2 or one of the When cleaning your son's natural penis, be careful not to force the foreskin to retract.

As your son gets older, teach him how to wash and care for his penis. There may be reasons later in life when your son may need a circumcision. A boy or man may have problems retracting the foreskin or may have swelling of the foreskin that requires circumcision.

But these problems are rare. Circumcision is not just done in newborns. Keep in mind that your son can decide on his own later in life if he wants a circumcised penis. Some studies have shown that circumcised men are a little less likely than men who have not been circumcised to get or spread a sexually transmitted infection STI , including HIV.

The best way to prevent STIs is to teach people about risk factors and the importance of avoiding high-risk sex. These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers.

They may be helpful as you make important health decisions. I had my three sons circumcised. None of them ever had a problem from the surgery.

I know it hurt, but it didn't last long and they all healed quickly. It was important to me to follow our religious customs. When I was young, my father taught me how to keep my penis clean, and I have never had any problems. Most boys in my gym classes were circumcised, but I never felt that I was strange or different because I wasn't. When my son is born, we will not have him circumcised. When our son William was born, we didn't have any reason to have him circumcised. We discussed it with our doctor and decided not to have the surgery.

When William is older, he can decide for himself if he wants to have the procedure. When our first son was born, we had him circumcised. All the men in my family are circumcised. But the procedure was painful and very stressful for him, so when our second son was born, we decided to leave him uncircumcised.

We decided to spare him that pain. Both our sons are healthy and happy. Neither seems to care that their penises do not look exactly alike. I feel we made the right decision. Your personal feelings are just as important as the medical facts. Think about what matters most to you in this decision, and show how you feel about the following statements.

Most of the men in my family are circumcised, and I want my son to be circumcised like them. Most of the men in my family are not circumcised, and I want my son to have a natural penis like them. I'm worried about the risks of surgery and how I would feel if something went wrong.

I'm worried that my son won't fit in when he is older if he isn't circumcised. Many boys are not circumcised. I'm not worried about my son fitting in. Now that you've thought about the facts and your feelings, you may have a general idea of where you stand on this decision.

Show which way you are leaning right now. How sure do you feel right now about your decision? Use the following space to list questions, concerns, and next steps. Here's a record of your answers. You can use it to talk with your doctor or loved ones about your decision.