News

Laura MacDonald
(This page does not contain medical advice)

Another survey shows no net benefits to circumcision

Monday 12th April 2010
An Australian survey of 4,290 men has confirmed that circumcision is not associated with net sexual health benefits.

The survey targeted men aged between 16 and 64 through telephone interviews. After adjusting for age and number of partners - factors influencing STI risk - there was no difference in the groups except in two areas. These were non specific urethritis (NSU) and candidiasis (known to most as thrush).

Being circumcised appeared to more than double a man's risk of NSU and half his risk of thrush.

Thrush

Thrush is not a sexually transmitted infection and NHS Choices (the UK health service's online advice site) reveals it is actually more common among men who are not sexually active. They comment that men with a foreskin are more likely to suffer thrush, stating: "the warmth and moisture underneath it encourages the candida fungus to grow." But sexual health expert Dr John Dean writes that candida infection is just as common in circumcised men - although he states they are less likely to show symptoms.

Women are more likely to experience thrush (3/4 will get it at some point, 1 in 20 regularly and 1 in 100 has it almost all the time). NHS Choices doesn't comment on the role of female tissue in generating warmth and moisture which can nurture infection.

Non specific urethritis (NSU)

NSU is a condition where the urethra (the urinary tube) gets inflamed. It usually means infection and this might mean a sexually transmitted infection, such as Chlamydia. NHS Choices comments that NSU is one of the commonest reasons a man will visit a genito-urinary clinic.

Although a link has been noted between circumcision and NSU for years, NHS Choices doesn't mention that having a foreskin appears to provide significant protection against NSU. Damage to the urethra as one of the likely causes of NSU is mentioned, but circumcision is not mentioned as one of the ways in which the urethra can be damaged.

Other findings from the survey

The Australian reseach also showed genitally intact men in Australia were more likely to have worried about their bodily attractiveness. It's important to put this into context however, and consider how much societal aversion could induce individual body dysmorphia. Parts of Australia reached universal circumcision during the mid twentieth century, meaning that there may still be many Australian women who have not seen a natural adult penis.

Another finding of the study - perhaps more surprising - is that circumcised men were more likely to have masturbated alone in the last 12 months. This may relate to the effects of circumcision: Kim and Pang found that around 2/3 found masturbation more difficult afterwards, and around half of the respondents found it less pleasurable.

It seems reasonable to deduce that if a man finds an act more difficult and less pleasurable his partner will too...