Study: Male Circumcision Reduces Sexual Pleasure, BJU Sept2006

[MotherNurture]

BJU International
Online Early
doi:10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06646.x
Volume 0 Issue 0
accepted for publication Sept 2006

The effect of male circumcision on sexuality
DaiSik Kim and Myung-Geol Pang*
OBJECTIVE

To prospectively study, using a questionnaire, the sexuality of men circumcised as adults compared to uncircumcised men, and to compare their sex lives before and after circumcision.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The study included 373 sexually active men, of whom 255 were circumcised and 118 were not. Of the 255 circumcised men, 138 had been sexually active before circumcision, and all were circumcised at >20 years of age. As the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory does not specifically address the quality of sex life, questions were added to compare sexual and masturbatory pleasure before and after circumcision.
RESULTS

There were no significant differences in sexual drive, erection, ejaculation, and ejaculation latency time between circumcised and uncircumcised men. Masturbatory pleasure decreased after circumcision in 48% of the respondents, while 8% reported increased pleasure. Masturbatory difficulty increased after circumcision in 63% of the respondents but was easier in 37%. About 6% answered that their sex lives improved, while 20% reported a worse sex life after circumcision.
CONCLUSION

There was a decrease in masturbatory pleasure and sexual enjoyment after circumcision, indicating that adult circumcision adversely affects sexual function in many men, possibly because of complications of the surgery and a loss of nerve endings.

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06646.x

[BlueGin]

Thanks for posting that study, I am hoping it will help me reconcile my DH to the fact that any little men of our will NOT be chopped :thumbsup:

Mum has been telling me this for years, apparently it was considered common knowledge when she was nursing, one of the many many reasons she doesn't approve of it being done routinely.

[Ana Gram]

Don't believe this "study".

[MissieK]

I heard of another one that was the exact oposite - that circumsised men had increased sexual pleasure...

Melissa

[BlueGin]

Well I will be happy to read any opposing studies too, as I like to make informed decisions.
So feel free to link to them if you want opposing views to be able to be considered :)

[Duchessa]

While the groups were rather small the variety of responses is interesting... I think I'll go and look up the discussion following the article, that is always a good read... Thanks for posting that MNature. text removed by moderator

[Mum&bubs]

I heard of another one that was the exact oposite - that circumsised men had increased sexual pleasure...

Melissa

I heard this too!

[Kizmet]

not to be rude but i think DH would offer evidenc contrary to the study but thanks for the good read :thumbsup:

[poodysmum]

not to be rude but i think DH would offer evidenc contrary to the study but thanks for the good read :thumbsup:

ditto;)

[Karizma]

not to be rude but i think DH would offer evidenc contrary to the study but thanks for the good read :thumbsup:

:yes: :yes: :yes:

[cosmic]

not to be rude but i think DH would offer evidenc contrary to the study but thanks for the good read :thumbsup:
With respect, if your DH was circumcised as a child, he doesn't know any different. The study involved men who were circumcised as ADULTS and therefore had the experience of masturbation/sex before and after circumcision.

So it's lovely that your DH (and mine for that matter!) are happy with their sex lives. But unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately..) they will never know just how much better it might have been had they not had the chop. ;)

[ShadyCharacter]

Good point Cosmic :yes:

Duchessa, I thought your idea was a good one myself :thumbsup:

[serendipity22]

I heard of another one that was the exact oposite - that circumsised men had increased sexual pleasure...

Link please.

Its true that its possible for circumcised men can still enjoy sex immensely.

.... without a condom.

I have a strong feeling that with condoms the difference between intact and circumcised tends to be rather large. Not all circumcisions are the same (I've heard some circumcised men say they feel NOTHING with a condom.)

Its worth pointing that the effect of circumcision gets worse over time, so its in worse in later life.

Its also worth saying the glans in all men is less
sensitive than the foreskin (20,000 nerves), and a circumcised man's glans gets less sensitive over the decades.

Circumcision may destroy 50-60% of feeling, but that is still a lot of feeling.

[Ana Gram]

Its true that its possible for circumcised men can still enjoy sex immensely.

.... without a condom.



Not one that I have had sex with has ever had an issue with enjoying sex with a condom.

[reAllytee]

Not one that I have had sex with has ever had an issue with enjoying sex with a condom.


Same here ....

[serendipity22]

Not one that I have had sex with has ever had an issue with enjoying sex with a condom.

Perhaps they had a good lover.

[OJandMe]

Hmmm...

Well I've never had any complaints, and DH seems to enjoy it immensely :p

[OJandMe]

I googled this. Thought it would be good to get a perspective from the other side.

Warning from CIRCLIST added by moderator

Warning: This website contains actual before, during and after photos of circumcision, photos of the instruments used in circumcision, illustrative drawings, and samples of particularly interesting circumcision results. Because circumcision is performed on the human genitals, it naturally contains photos of these areas. The images contained in this site are therefore graphic medical images that some may find difficult to view. Minors should only view this information with the permission and under the supervision of a parent or guardian. Please read our Legal Disclaimers before entering the site.
http://www.circlist.com/

click here to view CIRCLIST's sensitivity info (http://www.circlist.com/considering/sensitivity.html)

[andrewJ]

circlist is nothing but a circumcision fetish website.

you simply need to check out the rest of the website for confirmation, including the page it has on female circumcision

***links removed by moderator***


The results of the operation were wonderful and I only wish I had known about it sooner.
(kathy USA)


I recently had my clitoral hood removed (female circumcision) to improve sensitivity and cleanliness as it was such a long hood. I had some pain during healing, but that has been minimal. Healing has been rapid.
Cindy (USA)


There has a been a few studies that suggest that circumcised men enjoy sex more, but in these studies, the men were being circumcised for a medical reason, e.g painful erections due to tight foreskin etc. So, in these cases, it is hardly suprising that they enjoy sex more (than they did before).

Logic dictates to me that removing the MOST sensitive skin on the penis, including its specialised fine touch and stretch receptors, as well as permanently exposing a (what should be) normally internal organ, the glans, can only diminish that persons experience of sex.

One study showed that circumcised men masturbate more often, perhaps this is an attempt to subsitute quality with quantity?

this question is rather obvious to all intact men, and is the reason that an intact adult would not amputate any part of his genitals without a very compelling reason.

[MissieK]

I don't have a link - it was something I heard on the radio ages ago.

Melissa

[MotherNurture]

I googled this. Thought it would be good to get a perspective from the other side.

Warning from CIRCLIST added by moderator

http://www.circlist.com/

click here to view CIRCLIST's sensitivity testimonials (http://www.circlist.com/considering/sensitivity.html)

Circlist is a circumfetishist website, it is not an unbiased research website or a professional organization. Then men that frequent it find circumcision-both the act of cutting and cut penises themselves-stimulating. Any quotes, stories, or testimonials aren't scientific.

Jen

[BlueGin]

Something that occured to me, and I found interesting: Those that are saying that the men they know/have been with, have no issues with lack of sensitivity... I can't debate that, as I am not in their shoes... BUT, they may well have had a very good job done, where minimal skin is removed- and high level surgical practices employed.
Now from what I understand, circumcision in Australia today is mostly Plasti-Bell which sounds like a very controlled method, much less likely to cause problems.

Again- BUT, it is still surgery.
Mistakes can be made, infections can occur, I imagine surgical skill still plays a part...

This was brought to mind by thoughts of a friend who had quite a lot of skin removed, apart from having a kind of odd looking member (in his words, apparently distinctly 2 toned in colour), he said that condoms make sex almost boring for him he felt so little.

I don't think I would be ready to risk that for any son of mine. That is why I was so interested in this thread, as I've only spoken to this one friend (and my Mum) about the topic, and was fascinated to hear what men who had experienced both thought.

[MotherNurture]

I think it's important to remember that there's no dotted line or other feature differentiating the foreskin from the rest of penile skin; every method, including plastibell, removes imprecise and highly varied amounts of skin. The provider pulls the skin up over the bell or through a clamping device, ties the ligature or tightens the clamp. How strong the tug or how much the skin gives under the force is different every time.

Also, baby penises are TINY and it's impossible to know how much that little penis will grow between infancy and adulthood the amount of skin, mobility, and pleasure he's left with is anyone's guess.

It's also important to keep in mind that over 70% of circumcised babies develop penile adhesions were remaining, forcefully detached skin reattaches to the glans.

Plastibell circumcisions specifically are associated with a risk for a horrific complication called necrotizing fasciitis with a 70%+ neonatal mortality rate.

(Google: "necrotizing fasciitis circumcision")

Every circumcision removes healthy, functional, nerve-laden tissue and results in progressive keratinization (drying/thickening) of the glans.

IMO, every human being, barring medical conditions for amputative surgery, is entitled to intact genitals. I want my son to have the greatest potential in all things, including sexual pleasure when he grows up. If he decides to sacrifice sensitivity for vanity or other personal reasons, it's his choice to make.

Jen

[OJandMe]

Sorry about the web link. I had no idea it was that kind of site. I just googled 'sex after cicumscision' and it came up. :o

You know... come to think of it DH has always hated using a condom as well..... but I think a lot of guys do, whether circumsised or not.

[MotherNurture]

This was brought to mind by thoughts of a friend who had quite a lot of skin removed, apart from having a kind of odd looking member (in his words, apparently distinctly 2 toned in colour), he said that condoms make sex almost boring for him he felt so little.


You know... come to think of it DH has always hated using a condom as well..... but I think a lot of guys do, whether circumsised or not.

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/STD/michael1/

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Volume 88, Number 5: Pages 749-754,
May 1998.

RESULTS: In comparison with that of Britain, the US population has greater variability in sexual behavior, less tolerant opinions about sexual behavior, and a higher STD prevalence and lower condom usage among men.

CONCLUSIONS: The survey data show compelling evidence from both countries of a strong association between number of sex partners and STD risk. In the United States relative to Britain, there is both greater dispersion in sexual behavior and a greater incidence of unconditional opposition to certain sexual practices. The former implies a need for strong public health policy to address the risks of STDs, but the latter implies strong opposition to that policy. This disjuncture between public health need and feasibility may contribute to the high US rate of STDs.

PMID: 9585739 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
[CIRP Note: This article is of interest because it compares the sexual behavior in America, where most men are circumcised, with the sexual behavior in Britain, where most men have intact penises.]

---

Michael RT, Wadsworth J, Feinleib J, et al. Private sexual behavior, public opinion, and public health policy related to sexually transmitted diseases: a US-British comparison. Am J Public Health 1998;88(5):749-54.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Volume 88, Number 5: Pages 749-754, May 1998.

Private sexual behavior, public opinion, and public health policy related to sexually transmitted diseases: a US-British comparison. Michael RT, Wadsworth J, Feinleib J, Johnson AM, Laumann EO, Wellings K.

Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.

RESULTS: In comparison with that of Britain, the US population has greater variability in sexual behavior, less tolerant opinions about sexual behavior, and a higher STD prevalence and lower condom usage among men.

---

http://www.rho.org/html/cont-male_condoms.htm

Failure also may be caused by the condom user's behavior. A recent study found that breakage related to: (1) having a male sexual partner, (2) infrequent
condom use, (3) having the condom partially slip, and(4) the technique use to don the condom (Richters, 1995). Slippage was related to: (1) young age, (2)having less lifetime condom experience, (3) being circumcised, and (4) the donning technique.

78.Richters J, Gerofi J, Donovan B. Why do condoms break or slip off in use? An exploratory study. Int J STD AIDS 1995;6:11-18

"American men are reluctant to use condoms. Studies indicate a considerably higher acceptance and usage rate for condoms in Europe and Japan, where circumcision is almost never practised. Some have suggested that American men are resisting a layer of latex that would further decrease sensation from a glans already desensitized from the keritinization following circumcision. Moreover, condoms are more likely to fall off the circumcised penis78."

---

Interesting.

Jen

[serendipity22]

Moreover, condoms are more likely to fall off the circumcised penis

In my experience this happens as a result of an erection going down, which is more likely to happen when there is less feeling. (Condoms can be torn for the same reason)

A normal penis creates it own lubrication while a circed penis is totally dry.

My hunch is that differences in feeling between normal and circed is greatly magnified when using condoms.

[serendipity22]

This is another study at
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06685.x

and there is a pdf file at
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/pdf/sorrells_2007.pdf

Which found circed is less sensitive than normal, even without taking into account the foreskin is much more sensitive than the glans.

This is not really surprising as medical circ was introduced in the Victorian era 1800s to reduce male sexuality.

[MotherNurture]

Circumcision removes 240 feet of nerves, including tens of thousands of specialized nerve endings and damages or removes the frenulum or 'male g-spot'.

It also permanently exposes the glans the surface of which, like your clitoris is meant to be protected, thin, slightly moist, and sensitive. When that protection is artificially stripped away through prepuce (foreskin) amputation, the glans is subject to a lifetime of progressive drying and thickening called 'keratinization'.

When routine circumcision was origionally popularized, one of it's main purposes was to decrease/prevent masturbation by reducing sensitivity.

Jen