Circumcision probably isn’t something parents think of when they find out they are pregnant with a boy.
Parents are often surprised by the overwhelming onslaught of emotions and decisions to be made with a newborn in the hospital. One of the issues often overlooked until right before the procedure is whether or not to have a circumcision for a newborn boy.
Circumcision seems like a medical procedure, and certainly when you and your family are in the hospital surrounded by nurses and doctors and receiving all kinds of health care, it’s easy to view it that way. The truth of the matter is, the majority of Americans (and parents in other parts of the world as well) base their decision about circumcision on personal, cultural, or religious beliefs, rather than medical need.
My job as your nursery doctor is to tell you the medical good and bad of each decision and leave the decision to you, rather than insisting you do what I would do for my own kids.
The most current scientific data shows benefits that include fewer urinary tract infections as a baby, fewer sexually transmitted infections as a teenager or adult, and less incidents of penile cancer as an older adult for boys who are circumcised.
On first look, this information would make you think choosing circumcision for medical reasons is a no-brainer, but the problem is all of these avoided medical complications are relatively rare. Circumcision does carry the slight risks of bleeding, damage to the organ, infection, and causing some short-term pain.
When all of the pros and cons are weighed, we are still left with an open choice medically, which could go either way.
Historically, the majority of Americans have circumcised their children, but this is slowly changing over time.
At Mercy Medical Center, we think it is important to offer the procedure to any family that wants it for their baby boy, but it is not in any way required. The best way to decide is to weigh your family’s cultural and social expectations first, and then briefly consider the medical issues rather than focusing on these smaller medical concerns. It is important that your doctor and nurses don’t put any value judgments on this personal choice.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has written a short policy statement about circumcision. The gist of the statement is what I have outlined above – that there are clear medical benefits, but they are very small, and it is usually better left to personal choice by the family. Here is another well-written commentary by another pediatrician.
Most parents of newborns who I see in my practice feel high levels of stress trying to make the perfect choices. I want to take this opportunity to encourage you that there is no perfect choice here. Think about what personal reasons you may have for or against circumcision some time before your baby is born, and then don’t worry too much either way afterward.
My partners and I look forward to taking care of you and your little one whenever you deliver and are happy to answer questions when they come up.
Dr. Matt Petty is a nursery and pediatric physician hospital at Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines.
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The post is part of a series of sponsored post by Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines.
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