FAQ's

WHY AND HOW WOULD CIRCUMCISION BE BENEFICIAL TO MY SON?

ANSWER: Circumcision is a practice that has existed for over 3,700 years. History indicates that circumcision has been in practice because of the various health benefits involved. The principal advantages are: 1) Preventative health care – circumcision aids in the prevention of certain diseases, among them penile cancer. 2) Sociological benefits – boys feel more comfortable among their friends when they are circumcised like them. 3) Religious fulfillment – by having had a circumcision, the boy has fulfilled the Biblical commandment that all males be circumcised.

OUR SON IS NOW A TEENAGER AND HAS NOT YET BEEN CIRCUMCISED. CAN HE STILL HAVE IT DONE OR IS THERE AN AGE LIMIT TO HAVING THE CIRCUMCISION PERFORMED?

ANSWER: Circumcision is a procedure that can be performed at any age. There are various reasons for which teenage boys are circumcised. Among them are: 1) There are those parents who, when their son was young, decided against circumcision. Now when their son is a teenager, they rethink their opinion and decide that it is, in fact, in their son’s best interest that circumcision be performed. 2) In many instances, the boy himself decides that he wishes to be circumcised so as not to be different than the other boys in his social circle. All in all, teenaged circumcision is not an uncommon phenomenon.

WE HAVE DECIDED TO HAVE OUR TEENAGE SON CIRCUMCISED. HOWEVER, HE IS OPPOSED TO THIS. WHAT SHOULD BE OUR APPROACH TO THIS ?

ANSWER: The most common reason for which a child may experience shyness or apprehensiveness are: 1) nobody wants to have an operation done. 2) When parents and doctors make an issue of as sensitive topic as circumcision, the child becomes withdrawn. He, understandably, does not wish that attention be drawn to this. It is, therefore, important that the child be made to understand that circumcision is a private issue in which no one other that the Mohel, Sandek and his parents are involved. Nobody else other than these few unavoidable, immediately-involved people have to be aware of it. In most of the cases with which we’ve dealt, one of the child’s first reactions following the circumcision is "why did I not have this done before?"

WILL OUR BOY EXPERIENCE PAIN DURING AND FOLLOWING THE CIRCUMCISION PROCEDURE?

ANSWER: The child is given local or general anesthesia and will, therefore, experience no pain throughout the procedure. Should he experience any post-circumcision discomfort, he will be administered the appropriate medications.

HOW LONG FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE DOES IT TAKE TO RECOVER?

ANSWER: Although the healing process varies by each individual, the average person is completely healed within 2 or 3 weeks. In fact, in most cases, once the procedure is done, no further care is necessary to aid in the healing process.

WHAT ARE THE EXPENSES INVOLVED IN HAVING MY SON CIRCUMCISED?

ANSWER: For a newborn to be circumcised, the related expenses included the travel costs and a few other relatively-minor things. For an older boy, however, the expenses are slightly higher because of the anesthesia and the medical preparations. They also include the necessary follow-up visits. The average total costs range between $500 and $1500 – a fraction of the cost of having it done as an average surgical procedure.

WILL INSURANCE COVER THE COST OF HAVING MY SON CIRCUMCISED?

ANSWER: If a doctor determines that the boy’s circumcision is medically necessary, the insurance will cover it. If, however, doctor determines it not to be medical necessary, meaning that the boys foreskin retracts completely and without restriction, resulting in no discomfort during erection, he will then conclude that the circumcision request is for cosmetic purposes only and insurance will, therefore, not cover it.

We suggest that you contact us in such a situation. We at ACT maintain a list of doctors who are advocates for the benefits of circumcision who will work with the insurance companies to accommodate your request. It is understood that the insurance companies look to avoid paying money where they can.

MY DOCTOR AND INSURANCE COMPANY HAVE DETERMINED THAT MY SON’S CIRCUMCISION IS UNNECESSARY. WHY, THEN, SHOULD I NEVERTHELESS HAVE MY SON CIRCUMCISED?

ANSWER: There are a number of reasons as to why you should have your son(s) circumcised. One example would be the medical preventiveness involved. The circumcision procedure takes approximately 20 minutes while its benefits lasts a lifetime!

There is also a scientific hypothesis which state that the foreskin’s inner lining is an entry-point for viruses and bacteria. Its removal, consequently, lessens the ability for these organisms to enter the body. There have been a number of books published which delve extensively on how this hypothesis was proven. Another area that should be considered is the fact that most boys today are circumcised because of the aforementioned issue. Several boys have expressed concern of the fact that most boys in their gym class are circumcised while they are not. This complex could possibly have a major effect the boy’s self-esteem and identity.