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Many
Parents Unhappy
About Circumcision Decision
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Although pediatricians have not endorsed
routine circumcision, a majority of parents in the US still choose
to have their infant sons undergo the procedure. Now a new survey
suggests that parents who say no to circumcision end up less satisfied
with their decision than those who opt for the procedure.
The findings
also suggest that one reason for the dissatisfaction may be that
these parents generally felt less informed about circumcision
than those who chose to do it. They were also less likely to have
had their doctors present the option to them.
Dr. Robert
Adler of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles
and colleagues report their findings in the February online issue
of Pediatrics.
In a survey
of 149 families, Adler's team found that parents who did not have
their sons circumcised were twice as likely to later reconsider
their decision. Twenty-seven percent felt unsatisfied with their
decision, compared with 14% of parents who opted for circumcision.
Overall, 37%
of parents felt they were not given enough information about circumcision,
and parents who said no to the procedure were more likely to feel
this way.
Circumcision
carries pros and cons. It has been shown to reduce babies' urinary
tract infections, and may help prevent penile cancer, a rare disease.
On the other hand, many parents feel it inflicts unnecessary pain
and in many countries circumcision is rarely performed. The American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stated that while circumcision
may have some health benefits, the evidence does not warrant a
call for routine circumcision.
The AAP also
stresses the importance of giving families ''accurate and impartial''
information on the procedure. The results of the survey suggest
that better communication might have left parents more satisfied
with their circumcision decision, according to Adler and colleagues.
``This study
does not support or condone the circumcision decision, only the
necessity to deliver accurate and informative data to parents
and discuss and support the parental decision-making process,''
the authors write.
SOURCE:
Pediatrics 2001;107:e20.
Reference
Source 99
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