Babies get circumcised for a mix of medical, religious, and cultural reasons, and the weight each family gives to these factors varies widely. In the United States, roughly half of newborn boys are circumcised, making it one of the most common surgical procedures performed on infants. The decision typically comes down to a combination of potential health benefits, family tradition, and religious practice.
The Medical Case for Circumcision
The American Academy of Pediatrics reviewed decades of research and concluded that the health benefits of newborn circumcision outweigh the risks, though not by enough to recommend it as a routine procedure for every baby. Instead, the AAP’s position is that the benefits justify making the procedure available to families who want it, including insurance coverage. The final call belongs to parents.
The clearest medical benefit shows up in the first year of life: circumcised infants have significantly fewer urinary tract infections. One large study found a 90% reduction in UTI risk among circumcised boys, while another reported that uncircumcised boys developed UTIs at roughly 11 times the rate of circumcised boys. UTIs in infants can lead to hospitalization and kidney damage, so this reduction matters, even though the overall risk of a UTI in any individual baby boy is still relatively low.
Later in life, circumcision is associated with lower rates of several sexually transmitted infections. Three large randomized trials found that circumcision reduces a man’s risk of acquiring HIV through heterosexual sex by 50 to 60 percent. It also lowers the risk of contracting herpes and HPV by about 30 percent. Circumcised men who are HPV-negative also pass fewer HPV infections to their female partners. These STI findings drove public health campaigns promoting adult circumcision in parts of sub-Saharan Africa with high HIV rates, and they factor into why some parents in lower-risk countries still see the procedure as a reasonable precaution.
Penile cancer is rare, but circumcision in childhood or adolescence cuts the risk of invasive penile cancer by about two-thirds. The protection likely comes from reducing chronic infections and inflammatory conditions under the foreskin that can, over decades, contribute to cancer development.
Religious and Cultural Traditions
For Jewish families, circumcision is the oldest religious rite in Judaism, dating back nearly four thousand years. The ceremony, called b’rit milah (or bris), takes place on the eighth day after birth. It is rooted in the Book of Genesis, where God commands Abraham to circumcise every male as a sign of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. During the ceremony, the father recites a blessing welcoming his son into the covenant of Abraham. The ritual carries deep theological weight: it is not optional but a defining act of membership in the community.
In Islam, male circumcision follows the practice of the Prophet Muhammad and traces back to the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). It is considered part of fitra, the natural disposition toward cleanliness and purity. There is no single mandated age. Some Islamic schools of thought recommend it during childhood, while others consider it obligatory only after puberty. In practice, many Muslim families circumcise their sons as infants or young boys.
Beyond these two major religious traditions, circumcision is culturally widespread in parts of Africa, the Pacific Islands, and among Indigenous Australian communities, each with their own meanings and timing. In the United States, circumcision became common in the mid-20th century largely for perceived hygiene benefits, and many families today choose it simply because the father was circumcised and they want their son’s body to look the same.
What the Procedure Involves
Newborn circumcision is typically performed in the hospital within the first few days of life. The baby receives local anesthesia, usually a nerve block or topical numbing cream, and the procedure itself takes only a few minutes. Three different tools are commonly used, each working on the same basic principle: separating the foreskin from the head of the penis, clamping the foreskin to stop blood flow, and then removing the excess skin.
With one common method, a small plastic ring is placed over the head of the penis beneath the foreskin, and a string is tied tightly around it. The ring cuts off blood supply to the foreskin, and the plastic piece falls off on its own within five to seven days. With the other two methods, a metal clamp is applied for 60 seconds to five minutes to crush the tissue and prevent bleeding before the foreskin is cut away. The whole process, from start to finish, is brief.
Risks and Complications
Complications from newborn circumcision are uncommon and usually minor. The most frequent issue is minor bleeding, which occurs in roughly 1 in 700 procedures. Infection rates are extremely low, around 13 per million circumcisions. Wound complications happen at a rate of about 65 per million. Serious injuries are vanishingly rare.
The most common long-term issue is the need for a minor corrective procedure, which a large U.S. study found necessary in about 3 out of every 1,000 circumcisions within the first few years. These corrections typically address excess skin or adhesions that form during healing, not emergencies. The AAP notes that when the procedure is performed by trained professionals with appropriate pain management, it is well tolerated.
Recovery and Healing
After circumcision, the tip of the penis will look red and swollen, which is normal. A yellowish film or crust often forms over the area within the first day or two. This is part of the healing process, not a sign of infection. Parents are usually advised to keep the area clean, apply petroleum jelly with each diaper change to prevent the healing skin from sticking to the diaper, and avoid submerging the penis in bath water until the wound has closed.
Most newborns heal within seven to ten days. The plastic ring, if used, falls off on its own during this window. Signs that something may be wrong include active bleeding that doesn’t stop with gentle pressure, a fever, foul-smelling discharge, or the baby not urinating within 12 hours of the procedure.
Why Some Parents Choose Not to Circumcise
Not all medical organizations agree with the AAP’s assessment. Several European medical bodies have argued that the health benefits, while real, are modest enough that they don’t outweigh concerns about performing surgery on a child who cannot consent. Critics point out that the STI benefits are most relevant to sexually active adults, who could make the decision for themselves, and that proper hygiene can prevent many of the conditions circumcision protects against.
Some parents simply feel that removing healthy tissue from a newborn without a pressing medical need isn’t justified. Others are concerned about pain, even with anesthesia, or about the small but real risk of complications. Circumcision rates have been gradually declining in several Western countries, suggesting a cultural shift toward leaving the decision to the individual later in life. In the end, the choice reflects a family’s values, beliefs, and interpretation of the available evidence.