Original Articles

Circumcision is the most common surgical intervention performed in non-medical settings within the community and is performed on millions of male children worldwide. Neonatal circumcision continues to be a controversial issue, although it has been shown to have a preventive effect on urinary tract infections in infants and penile cancer that might develop later in life. Some concerns include reduced sensation of the penis and sexual pleasure, as well as possible complications associated with the procedure itself. There is usually no medical indication for circumcision, and its performance is motivated by religious, cultural or aesthetic reasons among Jews, Moslems, Africans, and native Australians as well as many Christian Americans [1,2]. According to the U.S. National Center of Health Statistics [3], 61 % of boys born in the United States in 1987 were circumcised. The procedure is less commonly performed in other countries, mainly northern Europe, Central an