Most parents are likely to be reassured by the results of a new study of more than 300,000 babies that shows complications from circumcision occur only in approximately one out of every 476 cases. The study, which appears in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics , indicates that while this common surgical procedure performed on baby boys just days after birth is relatively safe, worried parents should be aware that occasional problems such as bleeding and injury do occur.
Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin, which covers the head of the penis.
Medically speaking, circumcision is thought to prevent urinary tract infections as well as cancer of the penis and sexually transmitted diseases later in life. However, the extent to which circumcision actually reduces any of these risks has been greatly debated, and some experts believe that as long as proper hygiene is maintained, the presence of the foreskin does not increase a man's risk of infections or cancer. Potential risks of circumcision have been less frequently examined, however. But for those parents who seek objective data, we wanted to be able to provide it for them. Christakis, who is a pediatrician at the University of Washington Child Health Institute in Seattle, says while many parents may view the complication rate as acceptably low, others may consider it to be intolerably high.