Background

Although male neonatal circumcision is routinely done in many parts of Africa for cultural reasons, little is known about the reasons for neonatal circumcisions in metropolitan settings.

Objectives

To elucidate from mothers reasons and preferred methods for circumcising male children in Lagos

Setting

Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria.

Patients, Materials and Method:

One thousand and two consecutive mothers of male children were interviewed through a questionnaire-based survey to determine the reasons why their male children were circumcised and their preferred method.

Results:

A thousand and two mothers were interviewed. One thousand, seven hundred and seventy five (1775) male children from these mothers, comprising 59.7% of the children and all of whom had been circumcised in Lagos were the subjects of this study. The Plastibell kit method was preferred by 415 mothers (41.5%) of mothers while the open surgical dissection method was employed in 15%. The Gomco method was only requested by 16 mothers (1.6%). Six hundred and six mothers (60.6%) mothers circumcised their children for traditional reasons while 20.8% believed it fulfilled their religious obligations.

Conclusion

Most male children in Lagos were circumcised for traditional and religious reasons. The Plastibell kit is the method of choice for male circumcision among mothers in Lagos.