CDC rec to counsel all males about benefits of circumcision

Published

Wasn't sure the best place to put this, but here's the article:

CDC Considers Counseling Males Of All Ages On Circumcision : Shots - Health News : NPR

What do you think of this? Have you read the African studies and do you think they translate to our population? Do you think it's a good idea from a public health standpoint?

Specializes in School Nursing.
I'd chime in and say no, and they are not comparable because one is permanent and the other is not.

Ear piercing isn't permanent? When might I expect the holes in my ears to heal? (I haven't worn earrings in about a decade.)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Ear piercing isn't permanent? When might I expect the holes in my ears to heal? (I haven't worn earrings in about a decade.)

Had my ears pierced for 20 years, stopped wearing earrings for about 2 years, and no more pierced ears the next time I tried to put earrings in. It's possible, even if unlikely.

Circumcision is an incredibly personal decision on the parts of the parents that is going to be influenced by culture, religion, and personal experience among other things. Parents should receive complete, unbiased information and be allowed to make the decision themselves.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.

I still think what a lot of people are missing in this thread is the basic question: Should the CDC provide healthcare providers with the information on the risks and benefits of male circumcision? That way HCPs can adequately educate their patients based on actual research not biased by people that are pro-male circumcision or anti-male circumcision.

I don't see what the problem is with that, which is actually what the CDC is proposing to do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
I still think what a lot of people are missing in this thread is the basic question: Should the CDC provide healthcare providers with the information on the risks and benefits of male circumcision? That way HCPs can adequately educate their patients based on actual research not biased by people that are pro-male circumcision or anti-male circumcision.

I don't see what the problem is with that, which is actually what the CDC is proposing to do.

Yes, they should. I do think we need to be careful and make sure that when listing what circumcision "prevents" that we also make sure that parents know the risk of UTI is already minimal and that the risk of reduced STIs was from a study in Africa because leaving this stuff out doesn't allow for informed consent.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Ear piercing isn't permanent? When might I expect the holes in my ears to heal? (I haven't worn earrings in about a decade.)

To me there is an incredibly huge difference between chopping off something that cannot be replaced and a cosmetic piercing that can heal. If a girl grows up and chooses not to wear earrings, she does not have to, and more often than not the holes do heal up. If a boy grows up and decides he'd like to have his foreskin, it's not possible. You are free to disagree with me, but this is my view on it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

As a mom to an intact male, the majority of this thread makes me smile. Thankful for nurses who realize that the foreskin isn't a meaningless useless flap of skin, it is a functioning organ. We do not remove breasts because they might get cancer. We do not remove the appendix, because it might rupture. There is preventative medicine and then there are unnecessary medical procedures.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
As a mom to an intact male, the majority of this thread makes me smile. Thankful for nurses who realize that the foreskin isn't a meaningless useless flap of skin, it is a functioning organ. We do not remove breasts because they might get cancer. We do not remove the appendix, because it might rupture. There is preventative medicine and then there are unnecessary medical procedures.

So you are saying that the CDC shouldn't provide educational material on the risks and benefits of male circumcision to HCPs?

How do you define organ? The foreskin is a piece of tissue, and is not needed. It serves a minimal function, and the removal of male foreskin has proven medical and public health benefits.

Women elect to have mastectomies prior to diagnosis of cancer all the time based on genetic workups and family history.

The removal of the appendix can have severe complication rates and do probably serve some function in digestion and immunity.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.

"abstract

Male circumcision is a common procedure, generally performed during

the newborn period in the United States. In 2007, the American

Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) formed a multidisciplinary task force

of AAP members and other stakeholders to evaluate the recent evidence

on male circumcision and update the Academy’s 1999 recommendations

in this area. Evaluation of current evidence indicates that

the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks

and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for

families who choose it. Specific benefits identified included prevention

of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, and transmission of some

sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The American College

of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has endorsed this statement.

Pediatrics 2012;130:585–586"

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/08/22/peds.2012-1989.full.pdf

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
Yes, they should. I do think we need to be careful and make sure that when listing what circumcision "prevents" that we also make sure that parents know the risk of UTI is already minimal and that the risk of reduced STIs was from a study in Africa because leaving this stuff out doesn't allow for informed consent.

HIV was studied in Africa, but STI and male circumcision has been studied in other places.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
The link is from a pubmed site linked to Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland. It is my university library site. It allows me to access the full articles not just the abstracts, which can sometimes be misleading.
I went on a different computer, using Chrome instead of Firefox, and it still gives me the warning for that site.

You sure have some axe to grind. The foreskin is a masturbatory aid. You are saying you have studies disproving this but I can't access them. I've asked for, but you have not given, any rationale against the foreskin being used as a masturbatory aid. We keep going in circles and I don't know how to make my point any clearer. If you need me to find a research study to show you that uncircumcised men masturbate by gliding the foreskin, then I'll no longer waste my time responding to you. This is common sense.

My suggestion is to go to the men's section and ask them if you are that confused.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
I went on a different computer, using Chrome instead of Firefox, and it still gives me the warning for that site.

You sure have some axe to grind. The foreskin is a masturbatory aid. You are saying you have studies disproving this but I can't access them. I've asked for, but you have not given, any rationale against the foreskin being used as a masturbatory aid. We keep going in circles and I don't know how to make my point any clearer. If you need me to find a research study to show you that uncircumcised men masturbate by gliding the foreskin, then I'll no longer waste my time responding to you. This is common sense.

My suggestion is to go to the men's section and ask them if you are that confused.

I am sorry that you do not know how to use pubmed to look up research studies, but here is the abstract to the one I mentioned earlier.

Effects of circumcision on male sexual functions: a systematic revi... - PubMed - NCBI

Common sense would state that if you are going to debate a medical/physiological point then you provide research literature to support your point. You have failed to do this, and the only thing that you can come up with is poor designed study from an anti-circumcision site. It isn't me that is lacking in showing evidence it is you.

P.S. I have the equipment, so I am not the one confused.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
HIV was studied in Africa, but STI and male circumcision has been studied in other places.

Are there studies showing that in the United States we will see a significant decrease in STIs? I have never seen such a study.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion