The circumcision rate for newborn males in the United States dropped 10 percent in the past three decades amid fluctuating medical guidelines, changes in the immigrant population, and a growing movement that opposes the practice.

From 1979 to 2010, the rate of newborn circumcision fell to 58 percent from 65 percent, says a report released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate was the highest in 1981, with 65 percent circumcised, and lowest in 2007, at 55 percent, the CDC said.