Abstract
Circumcision is performed routinely on virtually all male infants in the U.S. although there are no valid medical indications for this procedure and parents rarely are informed about the operation or its risks. At 30-34 weeks, we randomly assigned prenatal patients to receive or not to receive written information about, and a description of, circumcision. The information was based on the report of the American Academy of Pediatrics (1975). 39 healthy term male infants were delivered; 15 of their mothers received the written information (Group A) and 24 did not (Group B). 14 of 15 Group A infants and 23 of 24 Group B infants were circumcized. A questionnaire was administered to the parents after circumcision was (or was not) performed. There were no significant differences between the groups with regard to the following: parental age, education and occupation; understanding of the circumcision procedure and its benefits and risks; reasons for wanting circumcision; satisfaction with the amount of information received. In Group A, 5 of 15 did not know what circumcision was and 11 said the information did not lead to further discussion and played no part in their decision. We conclude that providing this information to mothers has no role in the decision for or against newborn circumcision.
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Maisels, M., Hayes, B., Conrad, S. et al. 75 CIRCUMCISION: THE EFFECT OF INFORMATION ON PARENTAL DECISION MAKING. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 452 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00084
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00084