Dear Readers,

Althea writes Lifeline from Stony Hill, Kingston. She is pregnant and has discovered that she is carrying a male infant. She writes Lifeline asking about the validity of circumcision. What is its purpose? Should she circumcise the baby or not? Her boyfriend is circumcised, but has no strong feelings on the matter.

Circumcision refers to the removal of the foreskin from the male penis. Over the years (and centuries) this issue has remained controversial. Jewish men are still often circumcised. Currently, the reasons given more commonly for circumcision are health related. In the past, recommendations in favour of circumcision were often based on the premise that circumcision decreases the chances of developing penile cancer in later life.

Rare cancer

This is not a commonly occurring cancer and it has been proven that if the youngster is taught to clean his penis regularly in the correct manner, then there is no increase in the incidence of cancer of the penis.

Cleaning the penis involves being able to fully retract the penile foreskin. When the penile foreskin is tight and cannot be retracted from the head of the penis, then circumcision is recommended.

Circumcision is associated with a slightly decreased incidence of sexually transmitted infection including HIV (Human Immune Virus). The reason for this is directly linked to the issue of cleanliness. When circumcised, the threat of the loose foreskin acting as a receptacle for germs is eliminated. Personal cleanliness is the answer to that problem.

In some males, the penile opening is not at the tip of the penis. Often, these men should not be circumcised for medical reasons. On the other hand, in baby boys with kidney or urinary system abnormality, circumcision is recommended to minimise possible infections of the urinary tract.

Complications

Although circumcision is a fairly simple surgical procedure, it is not without its share of possible complications. These include bleeding and infection at the site where the skin was excised, narrowing of the opening of the penis (the urethra), removal of too much skin, and even possible amputation of the tip of the penis.

There are always religious, social and cultural reasons given within any society in favour of circumcision, but, in the end, the decision to circumcise is a matter of personal choice. More commonly, physicians today favour leaving the penile foreskin intact and teaching the young male proper hygiene, unless there is a medical indication to proceed otherwise.

Write to: Lifeline PO Box 1731 Kgn 8.