Circumcision Risk Less than 0.5 Percent in Newborns

A recent study shows that complications related to circumcision of boys in the United States are relatively rare, at less than 0.5 percent.

The risk remains incredibly low if performed during the first year of life. However, it can increase by 10 to 20 times for boys who are circumcised after age 1, according to WebMD. 

For the study, researchers reviewed medical records of 1.4 million boys who were circumcised between 2001 and 2010 in the United States. They also identified 16 complications that were associated with the procedure.

"Part of the debate about whether male circumcision should be recommended is about the adverse events of it," said study researcher Charbel El Bcheraoui, acting assistant professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, via Live Science.  "If you are considering this for your children or yourself as an adult, or if you are a clinician counseling your patient about circumcision, what you need to know is that the risk [of complications] is low, and is lowest at the first year of life."

Findings showed that about 4,000 boys in the study dealt with complications, though mostly minor.

"Given the current debate about whether MC should be delayed from infancy to adulthood for autonomy reasons, our results are timely and can help physicians counsel parents about circumcising their sons," the researcher said in the news release.

Findings aqlso revealed that in about 700 cases of every 1 million, additional surgery was needed to repair an incomplete circumcision.

Guidelines updated in 2012 by the American Academy of Pediatrics show that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks of the procedure. Yet the number of children circumcised has been declining in recent decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal JAMA Pediatrics.