Circumcision Basics

Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin, the tissue covering the head of the penis. It is an ancient practice that has its origin in religious rites. Today, many parents have their sons circumcised for religious or other reasons.

When Is Circumcision Done?

Circumcision is usually performed on the first or second day after birth. (Among the Jewish population, circumcision is performed on the eighth day.) The procedure becomes more complicated and riskier in older babies, children, and men.

How Is Circumcision Done?

During a circumcision, the foreskin is freed from the head of the penis (glans), and the excess foreskin is clipped off. If done in the newborn period, the procedure takes about five to 10 minutes. Adult circumcision takes about one hour. The circumcision generally heals in five to seven days.

Is circumcision necessary?

The use of circumcision for medical or health reasons is an issue that continues to be debated. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend routine circumcision for newborn males stating the evidence was not significant enough to prove the operation's benefit. The procedure may be recommended in older boys and men to treat phimosis (the inability to retract the foreskin) or to treat an infection of the penis.

Parents should talk with their doctor about the benefits and risks of the procedure before making a decision regarding circumcision of a male child. Other factors, such as your culture, religion, and personal preference, will also impact your decision.

What are the benefits of circumcision?

There is some evidence that circumcision has health benefits, including:

* A decreased risk of urinary tract infections.

* A reduced risk of sexually transmitted diseases in men.

* Protection against penile cancer and a reduced risk of cervical cancer in female sex partners.

* Prevention of balanitis (inflammation of the glans) and balanoposthitis (inflammation of the glans and foreskin).

* Prevention of phimosis (the inability to retract the foreskin) and paraphimosis (the inability to return the foreskin to its original location).

Circumcision also makes it easier to keep the end of the penis clean.

Note: Some studies show that good hygiene can help prevent certain problems with the penis, including infections and swelling, even if the penis is not circumcised. In addition, using a consom during sex will help prevent STDs and other infections.

What are the risks of circumcision?

Like any surgical procedure, there are risks associated with circumcision. However, this risk is low. Problems associated with circumcision include:

* Pain

* Risk of bleeding and infection at the site of the circumcision

* Irritation of the glans

* Increased risk of meatitis (inflammation of the opening of the penis)

* Risk of injury to the penis

Does Circumcision Impact Sexual Behavior?

If you take a complicated approach to sexuality, it’s impossible to say whether something like circumcision impacts the sexual behaviors of individuals in specific ways. Our sexual behaviors and the sexual choices we make are almost never the result of a single cause or motivation (even though sometimes we like to blame our bad choices on one moment of weakness, it’s usually a bit more complicated). This means that tying circumcision directly to a change in sexual behavior is to oversimplify the situation.

Of course, social scientists are never ones to shy away from oversimplifications, and one study has considered the question of circumcision and sexuality behavior. Not surprisingly, following the report of that study, another paper was published taking the same data and interpreting them quite differently.

The initial study, which took data from the large 1992 National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS), found differences in sexual behaviors reported by circumcised and uncircumcised men:

* Circumcised men engaged more frequently in oral sex and anal sex than uncircumcised men.

* 47% of circumcised men engaged in masturbation at least once a month, but only 34% of uncircumcised men reported engaging in masturbation at least once a month (both numbers seem very low to me).

This pattern was not true for all circumcised men and because there were differences tied to ethnicity and race, the researchers propose that the difference is not related to a physical difference, but a psychological one.

Following the analysis from the NHSLS study, another research paper, written by anti-circumcision advocates, offer a different interpretation. Here the authors propose that circumcised men have much less sensitivity, and as a result, they require more stimulation, which is what drives them to having more oral and anal sex.

Needless to say, given the exploratory nature of the first report, and the theoretical nature of the second, both of these theories need to be treated with serious skepticism

It’s probably reasonable to think that mechanical considerations of how a circumcised penis works might impact sexual behavior. The foreskin provides not only a protective sheath, but also an extra layer of skin during penetration that changes the way friction is felt. Some men who are circumcised may find that the skin on the penis is very tight when they have a full erection, and this could be painful.

This is one of the reasons many men (and their partners) like using a lubricant to increase the slipperiness and decrease some of the raw friction. Of course, other people enjoy intense friction, and wouldn’t be as happy if they had the more protected experience of penetration with a foreskin.

In the end, your choice of sexual behaviors and your experience of sexual pleasure are more limited by your imagination than by whether you are circumcised or not. It’s true that some partners express a preference for circumcised or uncircumcised men, but it’s equally true that the penis is but one of many things that can give and experience sexual pleasure. And there simply is no one “optimal” penis for ever person or every occasion.