The benefits of circumcision can be broken down in to tangible and non tangible components.
The tangibles are often much easier to discuss and consider and include easier hygiene and complete elimination of balinitis which is a minor irritation of the skin around the foreskin.
There is also a ten fold reduction in the risk of urinary tract infections in the first year of life. These however are pretty rare so I would need to perform around 1000 circumcisions to prevent one Urinary tract infection.
There is also a reduced risk of penile cancers, these are however even rarer than UTIs and I would need to perform around 10,000 circumcisions to prevent a single penile cancer.
These are the tangible benefits that time and time again are able to be reproduced in large scale studies.
As with all decisions however there are always intangible components which cannot be measured. These include things like cultural, religious and family reasons.
These tangible and non tangible benefits need to be weighed up against the risks of the procedure and we can certainly talk more about any concerns or questions to help clarify this decision for you during your consultation.
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