photo taken from binscorner.com

What comes to your mind whenever you hear the word circumcision? You might be thinking that it is the painful process of removing skin from a male’s organ. If so, you are partly correct. Aside from that basic information that you know about circumcision, still there is more to know about this certain word. As defined and described in wikipedia, it says that “circumcision is the removal of some or all of the foreskin (prepuce) from the penis.” Furthermore, it has been said that the word circumcision comes from Latin circum which means “around” and caedere which means “to cut”.

However, there is more to the word circumcision that you may not know. Uncircumcision in men is one of the most controversial men’s prostate health issues up to date. Most advocates of circumcision argue that circumcision provides health advantages which outweigh the risks, has no substantial effects on sexual function, has a low complication rate when carried out by an experienced physician, and is best performed during the neonatal period. On the other hand, the opponents of circumcision argue that it adversely affects normal sexual pleasure and performance, is performed due to excuses and myths believed or conjured by parents and health providers, is extremely painful, and is comparable to female genital cutting.

What is the real score between this men’s prostate health issue, known as circumcision? Wikipedia further reveals; “the World Health Organization 2007, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS 2007) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2008) state that the evidence indicates male circumcision significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition by men during penile-vaginal sex, but also state that circumcision only provides minimal protection and should not replace other interventions to prevent transmission of HIV.

With regards to hygiene,infectious and chronic conditions, what is circumscision’s role in this? The AAP ( American Academy of Pediatrics 1999) relates; “Circumcision has been suggested as an effective method of maintaining penile hygiene since the time of the Egyptian dynasties, but there is little evidence to affirm the association between circumcision status and optimal penile hygiene.” Yet, there is an inflammation of the glans penis and foreskin which is called balanoposthitis and that which is affecting the glans alone is called balanitis. These two conditions are are usually treated with topical antibiotics (metronidazole cream) and antifungals (clotrimazole cream) or low-potency steroid creams. Although not as necessary as in the past, circumcision may be considered for recurrent or resistant cases.

Escala and Rickwood recommend against a policy of routine infant circumcision to avoid balanitis saying that the condition affects no more than 4% of boys, does not cause pathological phimosis, and in most cases is not serious. Fergusson studied 500 boys and found that by 8 years, the circumcised children had a rate of 11.1 problems per 100 children, and the uncircumcised children had a rate of 18.8 per 100. During infancy, circumcised children were found to have a significantly higher risk of problems than uncircumcised children, but after infancy the rate of penile problems was significantly higher among the uncircumcised. Fergusson said that the great majority of penile problems were relatively minor (penile inflammation including balanitis, meatitis, and inflammation of the prepuce) and most (64%) were resolved after a single medical consultation. Herzog and Alverez found the overall frequency of complications (including balanitis, irritation, adhesions, phimosis, and paraphimosis) to be higher among the uncircumcised children; again, most of the problems were minor.

You might be wondering what the sexual effects of circumcision are. This men’s prostate health issue is indeed a subject of much debate. The American Academy of Pediatrics (1999) stated “A survey of adult males using self-report suggests more varied sexual practice and less sexual dysfunction in circumcised adult men. There are anecdotal reports that penile sensation and sexual satisfaction are decreased for circumcised males.” Moreover, “Masters and Johnson noted no difference in exteroceptive and light tactile discrimination on the ventral or dorsal surfaces of the glans penis between circumcised and uncircumcised men.” They concluded, “Evidence has also started to accumulate that male circumcision may result in lifelong physical, sexual, and sometimes psychological harm as well.” In January 2007, The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) stated “The effect of circumcision on penile sensation or sexual satisfaction is unknown. Because the epithelium of a circumcised glans becomes cornified, and because some feel nerve over-stimulation leads to desensitization, many believe that the glans of a circumcised penis is less sensitive. No valid evidence to date, however, supports the notion that being circumcised affects sexual sensation or satisfaction.” Therefore, since there is no clear evidence which states that uncircumsized males give less pleasure to women, it us up to the men whether they want to get circumcised or not. However, if hygiene is a very important factor in a man’s life, then cirmcumcision is the way to go.

Share this Article:

Tags: about circumcision, circumcision facts, info on circumcision, men and circumcision, men's prostate health

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 2:55 am and is filed under Men’s Sexual Health, Penis and Testicular Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.