Circumcision and UTIs

[GP70]

DS 16 weeks has been diagnosed with severe reflux to one of his kidneys requiring an operation under general anaesthetic. His paediatrician at the hospital, who will also be performing the op, recommends that he is circumcised while under as studies have apparently shown that this will dramatically decrease his chances of getting a UTI in the first year, which would be very dangerous for him. I clearly want to do all I can to keep DS healthy, but circumcision seems drastic and a look online at studies suggest that some of the methodology is flawed. Has anyone else been in this situation, or knows of any convincing studies that I can check? I would like all the facts before I decide.

Your surgeon is being practical here.

Dr Thomas Wiswell, an American and originally an opponent of infant circumcision in a country which has always routinely circumcised the majority of boys at birth, discovered to his surprise, the risk/prevalence of UTIs as ten times more for uncircumcised than circumcised males.

Having said that, UTIs in young boys are fairly rare so your son is just unlucky. I think your surgeon is only wanting to rebalance the odds and improve your son's prospects for the future. It seems sensible to go with it.

This was one of many reasons for which I was persuaded to circumcise both my boys at birth. More details of Wiswell's findings and a range of other benefits of circumcision, which are largely ignored by UK GPs, can be found here:

www.circinfo.net/benefits_outweigh_the_risks.html

I wouldn't tbh. I think it sounds a bit drastic for one incident. Perhaps see how it goes and if he is prone to UTIs you could consider it again. As with any surgical procedure, circumcision carries its own risks and I think it would be difficult to say at this stage whether that risk is worth it given that this is the first time it has happened and, as Suzanne says, they are quite rare.

Thanks for your helpful replies! He hasn't actually had a uti yet but as one would be disastrous for his left kidney, I can understand the surgeon wanting to do everything possible to prevent one. There are, however, studies suggesting that breastfed babies have a lower incidence of UTIs, and I breastfeed mine exclusively. He is also on antibiotics and will undergo reflux surgery, so quite a lot of preventative measures are in place. I guess I really don't want to get him circumcised as it seems so OTT and academic opinion is mixed as to its effects. It's a tough decision.