FRIDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Adult male circumcision, promoted as a means of HIV prevention among high-risk heterosexual populations, does not impair sexual function and is not associated with sexual dysfunction, according to the results of a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
John N. Krieger, M.D., of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues conducted a study of 2,784 uncircumcised, HIV-negative, sexually active Kenyan men aged 18 to 24 years, who were randomized to undergo either immediate circumcision or to a control group, which was to undergo circumcision two years later.
The men were evaluated at one, three, six, 12, 18 and 24 months. When data was analyzed, reported incidence of sexual dysfunction for the circumcision and control groups was 23.6 and 25.9 percent, respectively, and at the two-year mark the incidence dropped to 6.2 and 5.8 percent, respectively, a change that was not associated with circumcision status, the researchers report. Among the circumcised men, 64 percent said that their penis was "much more sensitive" after circumcision, and 54.5 percent said they reached orgasm much more easily at the two-year mark, the investigators found.
"The similar rates of sexual dysfunction between the circumcised and uncircumcised men suggest that integration of male circumcision into programs to reduce HIV transmission will not have adverse effects on male sexual function," the authors write.
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