Circumcision - Complications and Risks

Complications and Risks

After reviewing the literature, the American Academy of Pediatrics (2012) found that acute complications "most commonly involve bleeding, infection, or an imperfect amount of tissue removed," and that "significant acute complications are rare," occurring in about 1 in 500 newborn procedures in the United States; severe to catastrophic complications were so rare that they were only reported as case reports. The AAP also found it difficult to report an overall complication rate due to scant data on complications, and inconsistencies in how a "complication" was classified across the literature reviewed.

In their review of the medical literature, the American Academy of Family Physicians (2007) found that the complications of infection, bleeding, and failure to remove enough foreskin occur in less than 1% of procedures, and make up the vast majority of all complications. They also found "more serious complications have also occurred," and that "evidence-based complications from circumcision include pain, bruising, and meatitis."

The American Urological Association (2007) stated that neonatal circumcision is "generally a safe procedure when performed by an experienced operator," and that although the possibility for serious complications exists, "when performed on healthy newborn infants as an elective procedure, the incidence of serious complications is extremely low."

The authors of a systematic review (2010) found a median complication rate of 1.5% among neonates, with a range of 0 to 16%. In older boys, rates varied from 2-14%, with a median of 6%. The median risk of serious complications was 0% in both cases.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (2007) states that death is rare, and cites an estimated death rate of 1 infant in 500,000 from circumcision.

The American Academy of Pediatrics stated (2012) that "circumcision does not appear to adversely affect penile sexual function/sensitivity or sexual satisfaction," and this finding is supported by other reviews. The Royal Dutch Medical Association's 2010 Viewpoint mentions that "complications in the area of sexuality" have been reported.

The British Medical Association (BMA) stated in 2006 that circumcision has medical and psychological risks. Hirji et al. (2005) state that "Reports of psychological trauma are not borne out in studies but remain as an anecdotal cause for concern."