Circumcision does not repress Appetite for  Sex
HIV study: Fear of surgical procedure unfounded

London/Kampala (pte/09.01.2008/06:05) - A circumcision does not diminish sexual satisfaction and also does not repress the appetite for sex. A major study of John Hopkins University http://www.jhu.edu of 5000 Uganda men comes to this conclusion. In the opinion of experts one of the possibilities to prevent new infection with HIV lies in being circumcised. However, the fear of the consequences of circumcision let many shrink away from it, BBC-online reports.

Among the 5,000 examined approximately half were already circumcised, the other half declared to be ready to take this step, the scientists report in the latest issue of the medical journal of the British society for urological surgery, BJU http://www.bjui.org. The evaluation of questions regarding sex life and masturbation did not show any considerable aberration of both groups. 98.4 per cent of the circumcised interviewed declared to be sexually satisfied, with the un-circumcised ones the number was 99,9 per cent. Regarding the question of sexual intercourse 98.6 per cent of the circumcised indicated to have no problems. With the un-circumcised ones the number was at 99,4 per cent. However, 98.8 per cent of the un-circumcised indicated to have no pain during sexual intercourse. Among the circumcised it were 99.4 per cent.

Different studies come to the conclusion that male circumcision can reduce the risk of a HIV transmission substantially. One study even reports a decrease of up to 50 per cent. One of the reasons lies in the fact that certain cells living under the foreskin present a potential target for an HIV infection. However, after a circumcision there is a reduced sensitivity of the glans and thus a reduced risk of injury, which in turn leads to a smaller risk of infection. The authors would state however, that there is an aversion towards circumcision among the population - which mainly is based on the fear of losing sexual sensation. Previous investigations among circumcised men would have brought different results. The researchers at Johns Hopkins University however point out that the large-scale study clears up with these prejudices. "Our study makes clear that a circumcision does not have negative effects on the sex life of the concerned", says the head of the study Ronald Gray.

"The only concern we have, is the fact that the circumcised now believe to be protected against an HIV infection even without a condom", states Deborah Jack, CEO of the National AIDS Trust http://www.nat.org.uk . "The condom still remains the best protection from such an infection."

In Europe the topic circumcision aroused stark interest in the past years. For instance organizations like EURO CIRC http://www.eurocirc.org commited themselves to the topic. "The description of all prejudices against circumcision would fill a book", states Mr. Holzapfel of the educational campaign EURO CIRC in the pressetext interview. The clearest advantage of a circumcised penis would be the better and simpler hygiene. Even with regular washing residues collect under the foreskin. That is not the case with a circumcised penis. "The most frequent medical reason of a circumcision is the phimosis", says Holzapfel. With a phimosis withdrawing of the foreskin is difficult or even completely impossible. "In principle a circumcision can be accomplished at any age", writes EURO CIRC on their website. However, it is advantageous to perform it at an early age already, since the healing proceeds faster.

original text in german: http://www.pressetext.at/pte.mc?pte=080109004