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John Dalton Bsc,Msc

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Study shows harm to sexual function in a significant fraction of circumcised men

A new study by Kenneth Fink and his colleagues published in the May 2002 edition of The Journal of Urology examined sexual function outcomes in men circumcised at age 18 years or older.

The study reported that adult circumcision appears to result in worsened erectile function, decreased penile sensitivity and that 38% of men circumcised as adults reported harm to sexual function. Only 62% of the men circumcised as adults who responded to the survey reported that they were satisfied with having been circumcised.

Most of the men in this study were circumcised because of medical complaints. Circumcision was used to treat phimosis in 64% of cases, balanitis in 17%, condyloma in 10%. The operation was performed for "redundant foreskin" in 9% of cases and was described as "elective" in 7%. Following the surgery, only 50% of men reported improvement to sexual function. 38% of men circumcised as adults report harm to sexual function and 12% reported no change.

Despite the fact that most cases of the medical conditions treated by circumcision in this survey could have been treated conservatively, the study did not compare the sexual outcomes of circumcised patients with patients given conservative treatment.

A further study of just 15 men also published in the May 2002 edition of The Journal of Urology sought to debunk claims of superior sexual sensitivity for "uncircumcised" males. It concluded that there were no adverse "clinically important" effects on male sexual function in sexually active adults who undergo circumcision.