Studies have shown that males who are circumcised have fewer urinary tract infections and less chance of contracting certain sexually transmitted diseases. Also, these men have slightly lower risk of developing cancer of the penis. However, it should be pointed out that this type of cancer is very rare anyway, affecting only 10 out of every one million men. According to data recently released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, although circumcision does provide some health benefits, these benefits are not significant enough to recommend its routine use.

Therefore most experts now agree that circumcision should be considered a cosmetic procedure. Even so, due to either social, cultural, or religious reasons, most couples will still decide to circumcise their newborn boys. This leads us into the issue of anesthesia for this procedure.

Currently, almost half of all circumcisions performed in this country are done so without anesthesia. In fact, until recently we believed that giving the newborn anesthesia was too risky. However, as of March 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has changed their position. The AAP now recommends that if circumcision is to be performed, anesthesia should be used. This recommendation is based on recent studies which suggest that newborns do in fact feel some degree of pain during this procedure. It is expected that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists will likely make similar recommendations later this year.

In summary, although there are some potential health benefits of newborn circumcision, the impact is not significant enough for the AAP to recommend the routine use of this procedure. In fact, good personal hygiene alone may impart identical health benefits. However, even with this knowledge most couples will still decide to have their newborn baby boys circumcised. When circumcision is performed, the most current recommendation is that anesthesia should be utilized.