Circumcision benefit small against sexually transmitted infections
23 April 2010
Circumcision may confer only minimal protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), Australian research shows (Aust NZ J Public Health 2010; 34: 160-64).
A survey investigated circumcision and its impact on sexual health in 4290 Australian men aged 16-64 years. Just over half were circumcised.
After adjustment for age and number of partners, circumcision was unrelated to self-reported STI prevalence, except for circumcised men having a higher risk of non-specific urethritis. (Urethritis is inflammation of the urethra — the tube in the penis that urine and semen pass through. If neither gonorrhoea nor chlamydia infection is the cause of urethritis, the condition is called non-specific urethritis.) Also, circumcised men had a lower incidence of penile candidiasis (thrush infection of the penis).
And while previous Australian survey results had suggested circumcision might protect against erection problems, the present study found little difference in erectile dysfunction.
“[Circumcision] appears to have minimal protective effects on sexual health in the Australian context,” the authors said.
Last Reviewed: 23 April 2010
- 1. Ferris JA, Richters J, Pitts MK, et al. Circumcision in Australia: further evidence on its effects on sexual health and wellbeing. Aust NZ J Public Health 2010; 34: 160-64. Abstract available at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123344442/abstract
