Does circumcision reduce your chances of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI)? Several years ago a study came out that said yes, circumcision reduces your risk of infection. Now, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, not necessarily.
Researchers undertook the current study in New Zealand to determine the impact of circumcision in early childhood on the acquisition of STIs by age 32. Information about STI acquisition was obtained at ages 21, 26 and 32. STI incidence rates were calculated, taking into account timing of sexual initiation, and comparisons were made between circumcised and uncircumcised men.
Up to age 32, the incidence rates for all STIs were not statistically significant: 23.4 and 24.4 per 1,000 person-years for the uncircumcised and circumcised men, respectively. "These findings are consistent with recent population-based cross-sectional studies in developed countries, which found that early childhood circumcision does not markedly reduce the risk of the common STIs in the general population in such countries," the authors concluded.
What is your opinion? Do you wish everyone was circumcised or do you love your foreskin?
3 comments:
A thought experiment...
the strategy of let's get tested TOGETHER BEFORE we have sex,
for A VARIETY of STDs.
A sexual health checkup reduces ambiguity and can be
like anything else potential sex partners do together.
Great idea. Of course there is the problem of the window period to consider. It can take 3-6 months for an HIV infection to show up on a test and several other STD's have window periods of weeks or months as well. So it would probably be smart to get tested together at the beginning of the relationship, continue to use protection, and test again several months down the road.
Thank you! I appreciate your interest in the thought experiment
A myth -- people use a window or latency period as an excuse not to get tested today, now, for all the years prior.
If any sexually transmitted diseases are detected, knowing is better earlier than later and not exposing somebody. For potential sex partners regardless of whatever kind of sexual encounter, taking good care of an STD earlier is a good sexual health practice.
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