Circumcising newborns causes virtually no medical harm, but offers practically no benefit, either, according to a study that tries to put solid numbers on the risks.
Circumcision is thought to prevent urinary tract infections and penile cancer.
But the researchers found that for every complication from circumcision, only six urinary tract infections are prevented. And for every two complications, only one case of penile cancer is prevented. If Any The study does not judge whether the routine but increasingly controversial procedure is appropriate, but simply provides more information for parents and physicians, said the lead researcher, Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis, a pediatrician at the University of Washington Child Health Institute. I think different parents could look at the data and come to different conclusions. Most complications were minor and easily treated, such as bleeding and local infection, he said.