Circumcision is considered one of the most common surgeries performed on infants. However, it can be a painful and traumatic experience for many young boys. That said, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that over four million newborn boys are circumcised each year. Some parents are concerned that the procedure may be harmful, if not downright unnecessary. Meanwhile, others worry about the possible adverse effects of circumcision on their sons’ health.
There’s no medical or legal requirement that states you need to have your baby boy circumcised. If, however, you feel compelled to have this procedure performed on your child for religious, medical, or social reasons, make sure that you entrust your baby’s health to a reliable COVID-safe clinic like Circumcision Manchester in the UK.
What is Circumcision?
Male circumcision entails the removal of the foreskin that covers the tip of the penis via surgery. It’s performed in many cultures and countries worldwide, including the United States and UK. In some cultures, the procedure is performed on babies incredibly early in their lives. For medical reasons, however, some parents prefer that circumcision is performed when their kids have already grown into young boys. Still, some individuals decide to have circumcision when they’ve reached adulthood.
Circumcision is a minor surgery, and all the baby needs to do is lie on a table. Yet because of the pandemic, it’s crucial more than ever to choose a COVID-safe circumcision like the one in Manchester, or whatever city you live in. The following are some of the ways circumcision by clinics, like Circumcision Manchester, can help keep your newborn healthy:
1) Ensures Cleanliness Down There
A new parent must think about countless things when caring for a newborn baby. The typical valuable tips to help keep your baby healthy include keeping him warm, active, and clean. If you have a baby boy, it means ensuring he has a clean penis, and that can be easier said than done.
One of the benefits of a circumcised penis is that it’s easy to wash and clean because you don’t have to think about the foreskin. As your baby learns to wash and clean himself, it will also be easy for him to clean his circumcised penis independently.
It’s not to say that an uncircumcised penis is unhygienic. It’s more efficient to clean a circumcised organ, though. Of course, there are effective ways of cleaning the foreskin area, although the steps involved might be more complicated for a young boy to understand and keep in mind.
2) Minimizes Infection Risks
The CDC endorses circumcision for added protection when your child reaches adulthood. A circumcised man has a lower risk of catching sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as gonorrhea and chlamydia. Moreover, circumcision may also protect against diseases caused by the human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). As you may probably know, HIV is responsible for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
If there’s one thing that male circumcision can do to help your baby’s health, it’s to lower the chances of urinary tract infection (UTI) among infants. Experts believe this surgical procedure ensures an inflammation-free glans on the tip of the penis. In general, men have a lower UTI risk than women, but figures show that uncircumcised boys have a higher UTI risk than their circumcised counterparts.
Women partners of circumcised men also benefit from this surgical procedure because studies show it helps lower the risk of cervical cancer in women.
3) Decreases Risk of Certain Penile Diseases
Besides UTI and STIs, there are other penile diseases that circumcision can protect your newborn son from. For example, balanitis is a penile inflammation problem common in uncircumcised men and boys under four years old. This condition causes inflammation and pain on the head of the penis, which is typically due to yeast, bacterial, or viral infections.
Another condition that only uncircumcised males suffer from is paraphimosis. This urological problem is a medical emergency when a foreskin gets caught behind the glans or penis head. A related condition called phimosis involves the inability to pull back the foreskin. Although these conditions may be usual among infants and toddlers, they may cause complications in older boys, particularly in uncircumcised ones.
The Bottom Line
Circumcision can be a very personal decision that will affect your child for the rest of his life. So, make sure to research all the pros and cons of the procedure. Choose a reputable and COVID-safe circumcision clinic in Manchester if you’re in the UK, or in whatever country you are from.
