*This is not an April Fools Post*

I was reading this rather ridiculous article on MSNBC entitled:  Should all males be circumcised? The article published in Men’s Health, discusses if doctors are changing their tune regarding whether or not to  council their patients to have their sons circumcised.  The article follows around a Dr. Wang (seriously?) who calmly advises his patients on the pros and cons of circumcision.  He explains how the procedure is generally painless, has low risk factors, and that almost all babies receive anesthesia before the procedure.  The article also discusses the recent research out of Africa that shows a decrease in the rate of HIV transmission in circumcised African males.  (The current issue of The New England Journal of Medicine has also published a study that shows circumcised males have lower rates of HPV, HSV, and Syphilis). Even if this article is an April Fools Joke, it brought up some good points regarding circumcision.

Circumcision is a controversial topic.  People tend to feel very strongly about it one way or another.  As a nurse, I have to say that I hate circumcision.  Where I work the nursery is located right across from the nurses station.  You can hear the newborns screaming in pain during the procedure.  It always causes me to cringe and feel nauseous.  The above mentioned Dr. Wang (again, seriously?) stated that now a days, almost all infants receive anesthesia prior to circumcision.  I wonder where he got that idea?  The America Academy of Pediatrics has long ago stated that anesthesia should be used for circumcision, but this is not mandated.  There have been few studies to show what the current rates of anesthesia for the procedure are.  I have worked in some hospitals where only about 20% of babies receive any anesthesia other than oral sucrose.

So what about all the compelling research that shows a decrease in STD transmission for circumcised males?  Well, I would prefer sex education and condom use over whacking the foreskins off helpless newborns.  There are also some out there that believe circumcision causes long term psychological damage to the child.  This, I don’t buy into.

The anti-circumcision crowd sometimes argues that the medical industry only promotes circumcision for profit from the procedure.  This to me is laughable.  The reimbursement rate for circs are so low, the docs may as well be doing them for free.  I have yet to meet a doc that likes doing a circ.  Most avoid them like the plague if they can, and many have stopped doing them altogether.

I will admit that I am anti-circumcision.  I will also admit, that if I had a boy, I would have him circumcised.

Go figure.

RR