Lecturer Sibel Haklı Made Statements About Circumcision

There are three types of circumcision: ritual circumcision for religious practice, usually at the newborn or young age; prophylactic circumcision as a preventive measure against potential future diseases; therapeutic circumcision carried out due to a pronounced pathology of the foreskin with clear medical indications. Pain control in circumcision can be done with general or local anesthesia. Non-pharmacological techniques (eg, positioning, sucrose pacifiers) alone are insufficient to prevent procedural and postprocedural pain and are not recommended as the sole method of analgesia. They should only be used as an analgesic aid to increase infant comfort during circumcision. If used, topical creams may cause higher skin irritation in low-birth-weight infants compared to normal-weight infants; therefore, penile nerve block techniques should be chosen for this group of neonates.

Male circumcision dates back more than 6,000 years, as depicted in pharaonic drawings and circumcised Egyptian mummies. In Judaism, male circumcision is obligatory on the eighth day after birth. According to the majority of Muslim scholars, male circumcision is also mandatory and is preferred on the seventh day after birth. Both religions associate the practice of circumcision with Abraham (Abraham), who circumcised himself after the age of 80. Male circumcision is widely preferred in many countries as part of culture and tradition or for the health benefits of circumcision. The prevalence of male circumcision is approximately 85% in the United States, 25% in the Philippines, and 4.7% in Australia. 15.8% of men in the UK are circumcised. Therapeutic circumcision represents 2.5% of newborn circumcisions performed on patients with inflammation of the foreskin and localized diseases of the foreskin, such as phimosis, balanitis. Circumcision is not recommended for children between the ages of 2-6, since there is a sexual development period.If the child is old enough to understand, circumcision should be decided together.
Evaluation of the available evidence shows that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks. Male circumcision; Specific benefits have been identified for the prevention of urinary tract infections, transmission of HIV and some sexually transmitted infections, and penile cancer. It has also been revealed that the risk of cervical cancer of the partner of the circumcised person is reduced. Male circumcision does not appear to adversely affect penile sexual function/sensitivity or sexual satisfaction.

There is not a single country in the world that bans male infant circumcision. The only court to ban infant circumcision was in Cologne in 2012, which resulted in a very strong backlash in Germany and around the world. The German parliament had to pass a law allowing male infant circumcision.

Parents have a right to factual, unbiased information about circumcision and should receive this information from clinicians before conception or early in pregnancy when parents typically make circumcision decisions. Parents must determine what is best for their child's benefit. Physicians advising families on this decision should help by explaining the possible benefits and risks and making sure parents understand that circumcision is an elective procedure.