Circumcision appears to reduce STD risk

[LadyBug02]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Circumcised males are less likely than their uncircumcised peers to acquire a sexually transmitted infection, the findings of a 25-year study suggest.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061106/...mcision_std_dc

I'm still against circumcision and eagerly await someone to disprove this research study.

[DVDBear]

I'm still not convinced that circumcision doesn't cut down sensation. And if it does I'd much rather be a little more careful when I play than loose that sensation. I wish I hadn't been circumcised, but that's just me.

[sexjeff]

I'm glad I was circumsized and my children will be too.

I don't really think these findings will change anyone's opinion though

[DVDBear]

Any particular reason you're glad? Appearance? Convenience? Or something else.

Just curious.

[sexjeff]

Yes, actually appereance and convenience are the reasons. I like the way my penis looks, (although I would learn to love it either way) and I'm glad I don't have to do any extra washing like suggested.

Plus, I don't remember the pain, so I don't mind that it once hurt me really badly.

[Edubbs818]

Even though researchers have warned people to the contrary, I still think that many men (especially in 3rd world countries) will see circumcision as a cure-all and an excuse to have even more promiscuous, unprotected sex. The NY Times stated that the researchers of this latest study surmised that many of the male subjects didnt take the researchers advice on how to have safe sex. What ever happened to common sense? Id love to see a study about AIDS rates among heterosexual men in Europe compared to men in the US (given the fact that most males in Europe are uncircumcised). More over, were the sample sizes (and the rates of infection between the two groups of men) really that significant? I mean, the studies talked about something along the lines of 22 men infected (in the circumcised group) vs 47 men in the uncut group. These are only double-digit numbers here. What do I know? I only got a "C" in my statistics class.

Despite these statistical results, I still think common sense should be king and people should think about whether or not their practices in bed are safe. Its as though these studies say something to the extent of "since promiscuity and unsafe sex are so deeply ingrained in (some) 3rd world cultures, we have given up in trying to change cultural mindsets. Instead, we will resort to less intelligent and simpler method of (possible) HIV reduction- circumcising as many people as possible." As stated above, many people (even in the US) will not read the fine print, let alone think all of the factors through, and will hail circumcision as a bona-fide protector against HIV-AIDS.

[Edubbs818]

BTW- Im not circumcised- so I admit I may have a little bias- but I still think that common sense protects someone just as much as snipping the schlong. I think the researchers and advocates quoted in the NY Times article were definitely saying something about peoples common sense in 3rd world countries; that many men in the study (most likely) didnt take the safe sex education offered to heart.

[NizeGie]

Originally Posted by Edubbs818

Id love to see a study about AIDS rates among heterosexual men in Europe compared to men in the US (given the fact that most males in Europe are uncircumcised).

Speaking as person who got an A in statistics (though I'm not a statistician by any means), such a study would tell you almost nothing meaningful about circumcision, due to the failure to control dozens of other variables.

More over, were the sample sizes (and the rates of infection between the two groups of men) really that significant?

Sample sizes actually don't have to be very large, so long as you're really careful that your samples aren't skewed by other variables. The difference in the rates of infection in the sample group was actually pretty substantial.

I think you're right that the study could do a lot more harm than good, if circumcized men start running around thinking they've got magic protection.

[sexjeff]

And it's almost impossible to "proove" anything.

Of course, education and common sense will protect you more from std's than being cut or not.

[curly]

Originally Posted by sexjeff

I'm glad I was circumsized and my children will be too.

I don't really think these findings will change anyone's opinion though

That I am very strongly against, A parent should not decide if their child should be circumcised or not. Circumcising a child on the basis of your personal preference is vastly unfair. A person should have the opportunity to make the decision for themselves.