Wondering if you should go for Circumcision or not? Is it worth going through the procedure?

To clarify this confusion, you must know about the health benefits it comes with, and the risks that are involved.

You must get in touch with an expert to analyse if the benefits outweigh the risks. And finally make an informed decision.

Medical Benefits of Circumcision

Circumcision helps to prevent many kinds of diseases.

It is also prescribed as a treatment for many penis related conditions.

Some of the common reasons why people undergo circumcision are as follows :-

• If the foreskin is too tight to be pulled back, usually circumcision is what a doctor prescribes. This condition is medically termed as Phimosis. This condition can cause a lot of pain and irritation for you.

• If your penis head is inflamed and infected, the condition is called Recurrent Balanitis. Circumcision is an appropriate solution for it.

• There is a condition which is just the opposite of Phimosis. Here, foreskin cannot be returned back to its original position after pulling it back. This is Paraphimosis. Circumcision is the answer.

• A condition where penis is scarred and inflamed is called Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans. In this case too, usually circumcision is prescribed.

• For penile cancer, which is very rare, circumcision is the way through which it can be treated.

Scientific Reasons for Circumcision

Various studies have been conducted to understand the health benefits ofn Circumcision. Let us see them one by one.

Prevents Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

Urinary tract infections are usually low in boys compared to girls.

Suppose you are a man and your urethra gets blocked for some reason. There is a chance of you getting urinary tract infection.

If Bacteria gets collected up under the foreskin, it can result in Urinary Tract Infection.

If you undergo circumcision, you can stay far far away from getting UTI this way.

Urinary Tract Infections are less likely to happen to circumcised boys compared to uncircumcised boys.

Reduces the risk of Sexually Transmitted infections

Circumcision also reduces the chance of getting sexually transmitted infections and diseases like, HIV, HPV, Herpes etc.

The inner part of the foreskin contains cells which are receptive to various kinds of viruses, to be specific, viruses which cause sexually transmitted infections.

So, by removing the foreskin through circumcision, you can reduce the area for these viruses to enter your body. And thus can reduce the chance of getting infected by sexually transmitted diseases.

Thus for circumcised men, there is less chance of getting sexually transmitted disease compared to uncircumcised men.

Reduces the risk of Penile Cancer

Chances of penile cancer in circumcised men are less than that in uncircumcised men.

In uncircumcised men, sweat, oil and other dirt gets accumulated under the foreskin. This results in smegma, a thick, white ,cheesy substance. It can become smelly and can cause infection.

Sometimes, this smegma will develop into lumps, under the foreskin. This sometimes causes cancer in the penis.

Thus, by going through circumcision, one can avoid this accumulation and thus penile cancer in future.

Studies also show that sexual partners of men who underwent circumcision have less chance of getting cervical cancer. This is because when a man gets circumcised, chances of him having HPV is very less.

Solution to Phimosis

Phimosis is a condition in which your foreskin is so tight, and you cannot pull it back or retract the foreskin. This can cause pain and discomfort.

When you undergo circumcision, your foreskin gets surgically removed, and that way you can get rid of this pain and discomfort.

Helps in hygiene

By removing the foreskin it will be easier to clean the penis. Usually, when there is foreskin, sweat, urine and other kinds of dirt get accumulated under the foreskin.

Now, if you are not a very hygienic person, this could cause irritation, inflation, and sometimes even serious health conditions.

We have discussed Balanitis earlier. If you have balanitis, you will experience pain along with inflammation on the head of the penis.

Balanitis is caused by the lack of hygiene. Circumcision helps to keep the penis clean. Thus Balanitis can be avoided by circumcision.

Concerns about Circumcision

Though there are studies which prove the benefits of circumcision, Not everyone agrees with it. For every positive argument, they have counter arguments.

Let us now see some of the concerns and drawbacks they present.

• Circumcision is still considered a ritual in some religions and cultures. So, one has to undergo circumcision whether he likes it or not most of the time.

• Most of the time it is performed on babies and small boys who cannot make their own decisions. So, there is an ethical concern regarding the consent.

There is no way to know whether the baby will like it in the future.

Circumcision is something that would leave a potentially lasting psychological impact on someone. So, when adults are making that kind of decision for a baby, they are invading his body's autonomy.

• Advocating for circumcision also exposes double standards of our society. There is always huge uproar regarding female genital mutilation.

• Penis is a very sensitive area. So, when a surgery is done there, there is always risk involved. The success and perfection of the whole thing depends on how good the surgeon is.

• Chances of complications and risks are rare, but it still is there.

• It can cause pain and discomfort. But science has developed so much that there are ways to alleviate all this.

• Surgery could leave a scar, which sometimes could cause emotional distress.

• It can affect a man/a boy psychologically and emotionally. Since it makes changes in the physical appearance in one of your body parts, it might distress you or cause some kind of complication.

Some people will argue in favour of circumcision, while others will oppose it. While there are some proven benefits, circumcision still is a controversial subject.

Most of its controversy is around its religious and cultural background. Conducting circumcision is another issue.

Before going through circumcision, one should do a thorough research on the subject.

Read as much as on the subject from believable sources. It could be academic papers, scientific papers, talks by experts of the subjects or anything like that.

Talk to a medical health professional and clear all the doubts you have regarding the subject. If possible go for a second opinion.

And before going for circumcision, be sure that you are not doing it because of family pressure or religious or cultural reasons.

Also, ask for other treatment methods for the situation you are facing. In case, if you are afraid of going through circumcision, but your condition is so bad that you need treatment, this could be helpful.

Be aware of all the possible consequences like physical changes, scar, possible pain and distress. An informed decision making is when you take into consideration all these factors.

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