Male circumcision is an elective procedure that consists of the surgical removal of the foreskin (pre-puce) from the penis. It is one of the oldest & most common surgical procedures in the world and has been adopted by many different cultures all over the world for various medical and non-medical reasons. The American Academy of Pediatrics found “the health benefits of newborn circumcision outweigh the risks; but the benefits are not great enough to recommend universal newborn circumcisions.” Here at Women’s Health Care, we have highly competent and experienced practitioners that can perform your newborn son’s circumcision.
BENEFITS: Decreased UTI in first 6 months of life; decreased transmission of STD’s including HIV; decreased penile cancer; decreased HPV transmission/cervical cancer and prevents phimosis/balanitis. Also; there is good evidence that does not appear to adversely affect sexual function or sensitivity.
RISKS: Pain (minimized w/ local anesthesia);bleeding; infection; injury to glans/penis; poor cosmetic outcome. These complications are rare & minor and can be easily & rapidly addressed.
The circumcisions are performed on healthy newborns > 2500gm; term & no medical contraindications. We can perform the procedure in the hospital or up to 30 days of life on an outpatient basis in our office and administer local anesthesia, which is safe and effective in reducing the procedural pain. A sucrose solution is also given, which soothes the infant and a post-care instruction sheet is reviewed with parents.
The decision to have your newborn circumcised is very personal & should be made after consideration of the risks & benefits; cultural & religious; and personal preference. Women’s Health Care is available to counsel in a non-biased manner, assist you in making an informed decision and provide this procedure to our patients who choose to have their newborn sons circumcised.