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The Risk of Infections Post-Circumcision: What They’re Not Telling You

Circumcision is often sold as some quick, routine procedure—no big deal, right? It’s supposed to improve hygiene, reduce infection risk, and be a harmless surgery. But the truth? It’s not that simple. And what you’re not being told is far scarier than you’d expect.

Here’s the real story: circumcision doesn’t just come with a few minor risks—it can actually increase the risk of infections if it’s not done perfectly, and even when it is, the aftercare is often ignored. But doctors continue to push this procedure as if it’s as harmless as clipping a nail. We’re here to set the record straight. It’s time to talk about the dirty little secrets that are being kept quiet.

 

The Hidden Danger: Infections After Circumcision

Infections after circumcision? They’re more common than they should be. Sure, some procedures go smoothly—but it’s a gamble. If things aren’t sterile, if the healing process isn’t followed to the letter, bacteria can creep in, and suddenly, you’re dealing with an infection that could go from “mild inconvenience” to “life-altering issue.”

Doctors will continue to tell you that circumcision is a “simple, low-risk” procedure. But is it? Infection, bleeding, and even scarring are very real risks. The fact that this is downplayed is disturbing, to say the least.

 

How Infections Happen: It’s Not a Coincidence

Infections following circumcision happen when strict hygiene protocols are ignored during the procedure or the recovery period. Like any surgical procedure, circumcision opens the body to the risk of infection—if the tools aren’t sterilized correctly or if the wound is not properly cared for afterward, bacteria have a free pass to invade. That’s a nightmare waiting to happen.

And it’s not just about the procedure itself. If parents aren’t fully educated on how to care for the wound afterward—keeping it clean, using the right ointments, and avoiding irritation—the risk skyrockets. But how often are parents given the right tools to prevent this? Too rarely. And that’s where things can get ugly.

 

The Real Consequences: Permanent Damage

Infections can cause long-term damage. I’m talking about scarring, deformities, and, in some cases, severe health issues like tissue death. Infections can lead to permanent damage that may require more surgery down the line. And here’s the gut-wrenching part: all of this could’ve been avoided.

There’s a reason why many doctors choose to downplay the risks of infections after circumcision. If the truth gets out, we’d have to face the fact that circumcision, a procedure that’s performed on millions of newborns every year, carries real, lasting consequences that could have been easily avoided.

 

Why You’re Not Hearing the Full Story

It’s simple: circumcision is pushed as routine because it’s easy and profitable. But no one is being upfront about the risks, especially the risk of infection. Instead, we’re told that circumcision is just another part of the newborn experience. It’s not. It’s a choice—a permanent decision about someone’s body that they’ll never have the chance to make for themselves.

We’ve all heard the narrative: circumcision prevents infections and makes life easier. But when you’re presented with a procedure that carries hidden dangers, shouldn’t you be given the full picture? Informed consent is about knowing everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly—before making a decision. And when it comes to circumcision, that transparency is sorely lacking.

 

The Truth About Aftercare: It’s Not As Simple as They Say

Once the procedure is done, the real battle begins—and it’s a battle that many parents aren’t fully prepared for. The aftercare. The healing. Keeping that area clean and free from infection isn’t just a suggestion; it’s critical. But here’s the catch: most parents are given vague instructions or no instructions at all. The idea that you can just slap on some ointment and call it a day? That’s a dangerous myth.

You might be told to keep the area dry, apply certain ointments, or avoid tight clothing. But what happens when the area gets infected because parents weren’t given a thorough guide on what to do—or what to avoid? What happens when parents don’t even know what proper aftercare looks like? If the instructions are unclear or missing, the risk of complications skyrockets. The result? Infants and children suffer from infections that could have been easily avoided if only there were proper guidance and education around the procedure. If you’re going to perform a permanent surgery on a newborn, you better make sure parents know how to care for the wound afterward. Anything less is reckless.

 

The Big Picture: Are We Really Doing This For Health?

Let’s take a step back and think about the bigger picture. For centuries, circumcision has been justified by a variety of cultural, religious, and health reasons—but does it still make sense? The health benefits touted by doctors—preventing infections, improving hygiene, reducing the risk of disease—are often exaggerated or blown out of proportion. What’s rarely discussed, though, is the actual cost of this procedure: permanent, irreversible damage and the very real possibility of post-surgery complications.

So, let’s be honest—are we really doing this for health reasons, or is this just an old tradition that’s clinging on in modern times, disguised as a health fix? The answer is clear: there are safer, more effective ways to protect health, and none of them involve performing a procedure that strips away a part of the body that can never be replaced. It’s time for a critical examination of why this practice is still so widespread. Are we really prioritizing the child’s well-being, or are we just holding onto a practice that’s deeply rooted in outdated thinking?

The conversation needs to shift away from cultural norms and into a space where health and autonomy are the real focus. It’s time to challenge everything we’ve been told about circumcision and start thinking about what’s really best for the child. Because health and well-being should come first—not tradition, not myths, and certainly not convenience.

 

The Wake-Up Call

It’s time for doctors and parents to start asking the hard questions. Why is this procedure still happening without real discussions about the risks? Why are infections, scarring, and long-term complications glossed over? Parents have the right to know what they’re agreeing to. It’s time for the medical community to stop pretending circumcision is a quick fix for every child.

The truth? Circumcision is not risk-free. The risks of infection, scarring, and permanent damage are real. The time has come to stop hiding behind tradition and outdated practices. The well-being of children should come first—not societal pressures, not convenience, not old myths.

Doctors, it’s time to be brutally honest. Parents, it’s time to demand answers. Circumcision is a decision that can have lasting, painful consequences. And it’s time for everyone to wake up to the truth.

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Marilyn

Marilyn Fayre Milos, multiple award winner for her humanitarian work to end routine infant circumcision in the United States and advocating for the rights of infants and children to genital autonomy, has written a warm and compelling memoir of her path to becoming “the founding mother of the intactivist movement.” Needing to support her family as a single mother in the early sixties, Milos taught banjo—having learned to play from Jerry Garcia (later of The Grateful Dead)—and worked as an assistant to comedian and social critic Lenny Bruce, typing out the content of his shows and transcribing court proceedings of his trials for obscenity. After Lenny’s death, she found her voice as an activist as part of the counterculture revolution, living in Haight Ashbury in San Francisco during the 1967 Summer of Love, and honed her organizational skills by creating an alternative education open classroom (still operating) in Marin County. 

After witnessing the pain and trauma of the circumcision of a newborn baby boy when she was a nursing student at Marin College, Milos learned everything she could about why infants were subjected to such brutal surgery. The more she read and discovered, the more convinced she became that circumcision had no medical benefits. As a nurse on the obstetrical unit at Marin General Hospital, she committed to making sure parents understood what circumcision entailed before signing a consent form. Considered an agitator and forced to resign in 1985, she co-founded NOCIRC (National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers) and began organizing international symposia on circumcision, genital autonomy, and human rights. Milos edited and published the proceedings from the above-mentioned symposia and has written numerous articles in her quest to end circumcision and protect children’s bodily integrity. She currently serves on the board of directors of Intact America.

Georganne

Georganne Chapin is a healthcare expert, attorney, social justice advocate, and founding executive director of Intact America, the nation’s most influential organization opposing the U.S. medical industry’s penchant for surgically altering the genitals of male children (“circumcision”). Under her leadership, Intact America has definitively documented tactics used by U.S. doctors and healthcare facilities to pathologize the male foreskin, pressure parents into circumcising their sons, and forcibly retract the foreskins of intact boys, creating potentially lifelong, iatrogenic harm. 

Chapin holds a BA in Anthropology from Barnard College, and a Master’s degree in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University. For 25 years, she served as president and chief executive officer of Hudson Health Plan, a nonprofit Medicaid insurer in New York’s Hudson Valley. Mid-career, she enrolled in an evening law program, where she explored the legal and ethical issues underlying routine male circumcision, a subject that had interested her since witnessing the aftermath of the surgery conducted on her younger brother. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Pace University School of Law in 2003, and was subsequently admitted to the New York Bar. As an adjunct professor, she taught Bioethics and Medicaid and Disability Law at Pace, and Bioethics in Dominican College’s doctoral program for advanced practice nurses.

In 2004, Chapin founded the nonprofit Hudson Center for Health Equity and Quality, a company that designs software and provides consulting services designed to reduce administrative complexities, streamline and integrate data collection and reporting, and enhance access to care for those in need. In 2008, she co-founded Intact America.

Chapin has published many articles and op-ed essays, and has been interviewed on local, national and international television, radio and podcasts about ways the U.S. healthcare system prioritizes profits over people’s basic needs. She cites routine (nontherapeutic) infant circumcision as a prime example of a practice that wastes money and harms boys and the men they will become. This Penis Business: A Memoir is her first book.