Circumcision surprises

Dr Douglas Street , Contributor

Circumcision is an old practice that has been getting some new attention. We know about it as a religious practice of Jews and Muslims.

Some people have it done for medical reasons, some for sexual reasons, while some just like how it looks, but its medical benefits may surprise you.

Circumcision is a procedure where the foreskin of the penis is fully or partially removed leaving the head of the penis (glans) uncovered. The modern way to do it is under anaesthesia - either local or general - because it is a painful procedure, even in the newborn.

Healing usually occurs in a week, but sexual intercourse and masturbation should be avoided for about four weeks.

Since circumcision leaves the glans more exposed, it rubs continually on the clothes. This may causes it to become somewhat desensitised. So men who have been circumcised may, therefore, get less sensation from having sex, which may be good or bad, depending on the situation.

The procedure may be done in cases where there is persistent difficulty in pulling back the foreskin of the penis (phimosis). This may be done in adults or children. Circumcision also reduces recurrent urinary tract infections; and recurrent inflammation of the foreskin and/or glans may be treated by circumcision as well.

REDUCED CANCER RISK

More interestingly, though, circumcision has been found to reduce the risk of cancer of the penis. This is a rare type of cancer, so it is generally not recommended to be done for that reason. Furthermore, it would need to be done during infancy to get this benefit.

By far, the most interesting benefit of circumcision is that it actually reduces the risk of HIV transmission, from female to male, by about 40 per cent! It is actually recommended in areas where there is a significant percentage of HIV carriers in the population.

It is thought that this is because the virus enters the male body through the fragile inner lining of the foreskin. This doesn't work for anal sex, though, and it doesn't help to reduce the transmission of the virus from male to female as this is usually transmitted by the deposit of semen into the vagina.

I must hasten to say, however, that it doesn't mean that condoms are not required in circumcised male as transmission is still possible.

Dr Douglas Street is a general practitioner and has private practices at Trinity Medical Centre, Trinity Mall, at 3 Barnett Street in Montego Bay, and Omega Medical Centre at Plaza de Negril, Negril. Send feedback to drdougstreet@yahoo.com.