Male circumcision: review and authors perspective

Background: The aim of this article was to evaluate the proposed benefits and consequences of male circumcision and highlight the penile prepuce, the poorly understood and much controversial part of the human body.Methods: Databases of Pubmed, Science Direct, Springer Link, Wiley Interscience and others were searched. The research papers were studied and discussed. Finally, the opinion of the authors was recorded.Results: Male circumcision is a legacy of the human civilization, originating in Egypt. It confers many prophylactic benefits for the recipient and his female partner. The benefits include protection against urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, penile and prostate cancer and cervical cancer in the female partner. At the same time, it is a simple and safe procedure, having minimal risks. The removed prepuce is not a vestigial but an important and unique structure, being used in repair of the common malformations of the penile urethra. Conclusion: Benefits of circumcision vastly outweigh its potential risks. Newborns with penile anomalies are best treated by deferring the procedure until the defect can be corrected using prepuce at few months of age.