The Dangers of Circumcision: What You Should Know

Deciding whether you should circumcise your son is often difficult. Those who choose not to circumcise may later be unsure about the decision when older relatives or friends give disapproving nods. Those who do circumcise usually have no negative effects, but the complications that can occur may make you think twice.

The Procedure

Circumcision involves cutting away the foreskin, a protective skin that surrounds to penile tip, or glans. Because infants can only tolerate a blood loss of about 20%, excess bleeding from circumcision can result in death. The penis has many blood vessels making it likely to hemorrhage during the procedure. In addition, it is common for the frenular artery to be unintentionally cut, resulting in excessive bleeding. Other dangers of circumcision include minor to major infections, mutilating deformity of the penis, or partial amputation of the penis.

Necessary?

Some consider circumcision to be a mutilating and unnecessary. The medical community in most English-speaking countries offers circumcision electively, only to be done at the request of the parents. There is no current medical indication for circumcision during the neonatal period because of the risk of infant mortality due to bleeding.

If there are special conditions, such as balanitis, a painful swelling of the glans, a circumcision can be scheduled for a future date. There is no need of circumcision immediately after the infant's birth. It is true that circumcised men are less likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases, condoms are also effective for this and bear no health risks or pain.

Horror Stories

One mother reported that while trying to decide if she would circumcise her son, the nurse offered her an opportunity to watch the procedure done on another infant. The doctor used a device designed to pull the skin away from the penis, then cut the glans quickly away. The penis was misaligned in the device, resulting in a partial amputation and excessive bleeding. The mother walked away in shock and horror. Of course, she decided not to circumcise her son.

Other reports involve circumcisions that resulted in no medical complications, but clearly caused great pain to the infant. One mother reported that her son cried so hard from the operation that the blood vessels in his eyes broke, turning the whites of his eyes red for a time. She regretted the decision to circumcise for this reason.

Precautions

If you decide to circumcise for religious reasons, consider putting the procedure off until the infant is 2 months old. Be sure that anesthesia is used to reduce the pain of the operation. Do not allow any religious official to perform the procedure unless he is medically certified to perform the procedure. In addition, follow care instructions closely after the operation.

Caring for Circumcision

At each diaper change, you should apply petroleum jelly to the tip of the penis to keep it from adhering to the diaper. Do not touch the wound for 7 to 10 days. Rinse with warm water to clean the area, especially after a bowel movement, to prevent bacteria entering the wound. If there is redness, swelling or puss, be sure to contact your doctor immediately.

It is not surprising that many parents decide not to circumcise after learning the care instructions for a circumcised penis. Given the risks involved during and after the operation, there is no logical reason you should take the beautiful, fresh new life that God has put in your hands and then alter him by circumcision.