Why circumcision in us

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reviewed current trends of newborn circumcision in the U. According to the data, circumcision rates are highest in the Midwest and Northeast and lowest in the West.

If your baby has active issues with heart or lung function or a bleeding disorder, circumcision may be unsafe and should be delayed. There are also congenital findings that may require more extensive repair. Circumcision should be delayed if the opening of the urethra is not at the tip of the penis, the penis is notably curved, or the penis is relatively small. Always consult a pediatrician when weighing whether or not you wish to circumcise your son, or when establishing a timeline for the procedure.

Most newborns are held still or placed into a circumcision brace. The baby is comforted and may receive a local anesthetic numbing medication to reduce discomfort. The skin covering the tip of the penis is removed with a protective device, and then gauze with petroleum jelly or antibiotic ointment is applied. In older children and adults, the procedure is commonly performed under general anesthesia.

Despite what many people may believe, this is not an extremely painful procedure. If local anesthesia is given, the child will feel pressure and movement but not pain. The child may be briefly upset while he is being held in place.

If the circumcision is performed under general anesthesia, he will not experience any pain during the procedure. Once the procedure is completed the child will not have pain with urination since the urethra urinary tube from the bladder through the penis is left untouched during circumcision.

Our specialists in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Urology are highly skilled in performing circumcisions. We also perform more than re-circumcision procedures a year, many of which we strongly believe could be prevented by having the initial circumcision performed correctly by an experienced team like ours.

For Patients. In circumcision, the foreskin is surgically removed, exposing the end of the penis. Parents who choose circumcision often do so based on religious beliefs, concerns about hygiene, or cultural or social reasons, such as the wish to have their son look like other men in the family.

Routine circumcision is usually performed during the first 10 days often within the first 48 hours , either in the hospital or, for some religious ritual circumcisions, at home. If you decide to have your son circumcised at the hospital, your pediatrician, family doctor, or obstetrician will perform the procedure before you bring your baby home. The doctor can tell you about the procedure and the possible risks. Circumcision after the newborn period can be a more complicated procedure and usually requires general anesthesia.

In some instances, doctors may decide to delay the procedure or forgo it altogether. Premature babies or those who have special medical concerns may not be circumcised until they're ready to leave the hospital. And babies born with physical abnormalities of the penis that need to be corrected surgically often aren't circumcised at all because the foreskin may eventually be used as part of a reconstructive operation.

On the plus side, circumcised infants are less likely to develop urinary tract infections UTIs , especially in the first year of life. UTIs are about 10 times more common in uncircumcised males than circumcised infants.

Circumcised men also might be at lower risk for penile cancer, although the disease is rare in both circumcised and uncircumcised males. Some studies indicate that the procedure might offer an additional line of defense against sexually transmitted diseases STDs like HIV in heterosexual men. Penile problems, such as irritation, inflammation, and infection, are more common in uncircumcised males. It's easier to keep a circumcised penis clean, although uncircumcised boys can learn how to clean beneath the foreskin once they're older.

Some people claim that circumcision lessens the sensitivity of the tip of the penis, decreasing sexual pleasure later in life. But none of these subjective findings are conclusive.

Although circumcision appears to have some medical benefits, it also carries potential risks — as does any surgical procedure. These risks are small, but you should be aware of both the possible advantages and the problems before you make your decision.

Complications of newborn circumcision are uncommon, occurring in between 0. In America, however, the postwar boom years created a glut of jobs, and employers often wooed workers with plush health benefits, which typically covered circumcision. A growing number of Americans could suddenly afford to give birth in hospitals, and routine infant circumcisions spiked. This helped entrench an elective medical practice, creating generations of foreskinless fathers and doctors who were inclined to believe it was best for their sons, too.

This is not to say that official bodies such as the CDC and AAP are issuing health guidelines with an eye on the bottom line. He notes that because most American physicians are circumcised and work in places where the surgery is common, they are more likely to look for reasons to support the practice than question it. As the procedure is both deeply personal and a bit taboo no one really likes talking about genitals , few people even discuss it at all.

Grown men who have never known life with a foreskin are disinclined to mourn it. Elsewhere, however, uncircumcised physicians are better placed to appreciate this elastic, functional sleeve of tissue, which is not only tremendously sexually sensitive but also handy for protecting the head of the penis from abrasion. Government-financed health care also squeezes out costly discretionary practices, making it easier for doctors in other developed countries to see that a prophylactic surgery on healthy, non-consenting infants is not quite the most conservative, least harmful way of achieving certain results.

Some uncircumcised boys will still run the risk of phimosis, but the risk is rare. A new population-based study from Denmark , where most boys are uncircumcised, found that medical necessity forced a foreskin intervention in a mere. Because there are less invasive ways to enjoy the negligible benefits of circumcision, some argue that the practice in America is unethical.

They have a point—particularly as the surgery permanently alters those who have no say in the matter.

Parents may still wish to go through with it, for religious or cultural reasons. But it would be better if more Americans questioned a medical establishment that encourages a surgery that every other country in the industrialized world recognizes as unnecessary. By providing your email, you agree to the Quartz Privacy Policy.

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