In general, CIRCLIST recommends infant circumcision since the operation is much simpler at that age. However, if there are any abnormalities in the genitals it is best to postpone it until these are dealt with since the skin might be needed for corrective operations.
Physical abnormalities of the genitalia:
- Ambiguous genitalia including bilateral cryptorchidism.
- Buried Penis.
- Chordee.
- Hypospadias and related conditions.
- Penile torsion especially where the 'twist' exceeds 60 degrees.
- Webbed Penis (Peno-scrotal web).
Other considerations
Medical conditions which might hinder healing, such as haemopholia or connective tissue disorders, will require special treatment. Whether circumcision is carried out or not will be a matter for parental discretion, but if the boy is circumcised special procedures will need to be in place. Premature or jaundiced babies will need to wait until they are fully healthy before circumcision.
Overall incidence of contra-indications
The list of medical contra-indications may look worrying, but most of these conditions are rare. The most common, hypospadias, occurs in about 1 in 1,000 boys and is easily repaired. The repair will normally involve circumcision, so your boy will still end up circumcised. Our "best guess" is that clinical contra-indications to infant circumcision occur in no more than 2% of live male births, ans most merely require delaying the operation until the problem is fixed.
Acknowledgements
CIRCLIST acknowledges the following sources, used in the preparation of this web page:
Website of Stanford School of Medicine.
