With different opinions on infant circumcision, taking a right decision would seem to be a tough task. Making a decision just on the basis of word of mouth from your neighbours, friends or relatives would be unwise. It is necessary to know what the experts say in order to be confident in your choice. In recent times, there has been a great decline in the number of the infants being circumcised. Charge Data Master points a decline from 58.4 % in the year 2001 to 54.7 % in 2010. However, these figures do not include the circumcisions being performed outside hospitals. People getting circumcision done for religious reasons are the ones who prefer to get it done outside hospitals.
Antony Losquadro, the executive director of Intaction.org
expresses his opinion that parents need to realize that infants are perfectly intact by birth. “Although the reasons have tried to be rationalized over the decades as a necessary procedure, I think parents are becoming more educated on the issue”, he added.
Dr. Andrew Freedman, an associate of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) task force on circumcision has pointed out that there has been a variation in the demographics as parents and certain ethnicities have started considering it as an unnecessary task. Yet, there are people who consider the positive aspects of this circumcision process and prefer to get their infants circumcised.
Few studies during the 70s and 80s show that infants pass through some pain during and after the process. Though anaesthetics are used, they don’t remove pain completely. Nonetheless, there are several pain relief methods that show effective results. Yet, many doctors do not use the anaesthetic since they are either not familiar with its usage or they are worried about the side effects that it may cause to the baby. According to Freedman, “There’s no question that these pain control techniques reduce the pain, and there’s no viable excuse not to use some form of pain relief.” Hence, parents willing to get their infant circumcised don’t need to worry about the pain aspect. Freedman also added that most of the reputed hospitals do follow policies that instruct to use minimum pain control standards.
Now are you worried about the risks involved in the process? Just like every other medical process, there are few risks with respect to circumcision as well. The clamps used in this process are usually large. Hence, it becomes tough for the physicians to remove the foreskin appropriately. Losquadro says, “It’s really guess work on the part of the doctor as to how much skin to remove.” It can be considered as a risk factor. The process has few other risks associated with it as well. Curvature of the penis, bleeding, scarring, infection and skin adhesions are a few to point out. Yet, risks like these are extremely rare. A report in the BMC Urology journal clearly states that frequency of complications is just 2 percent. On the other hand, there are numerous benefits that outweigh the risks of infant circumcision.
The revised policy statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics in August 2012 clearly outlines the benefits related to the infant circumcision. With the first year of their life, the chances of Urinary Tract Infection are really high in infants. When it comes to uncircumcised infants, this risk is really low. The studies conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics show that the risk is 1 out of 1000 in circumcised boys and 1 out of 100 in the uncircumcised group.
In addition, infant circumcision even reduces the possibility of penile cancer and protects from infections that are transmitted sexually. Another study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics points out that the chances of Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 is 28% to 34% lower in circumcised men. The possibility of contracting HPV has also decreased by 30 to 40% in circumcised. It is same the case of contracting HIV as well. The World Health Organization reports show that the chances for man to get infected by a HIV partner is approximately 60% less if he is circumcised.
Even the chance of foreskin infection is lower in circumcised men. “On balance, we feel that the benefits probably outweigh the risks, but not by such a margin that we’re advocating circumcision for everybody,” Freedmand stated with respect to the process. The medical aspects are never going to hinder the process of circumcision as the studies show that the benefits really outweigh the risk factors. Yet, it is the responsibility of the parent to decide on what is good for the baby. “In the end, whether you decide to have your baby circumcised or not, it’s a personal decision that you should feel confident making,” says Julie Revelant in her article ‘Circumcision on the decline?
For Any queries please feel free to contact at manitobacircumcision@gmail.com
For Any queries please feel free to contact at manitobacircumcision@gmail.com
