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Circumcision doesn’t affect sexual pleasure, research shows


There is so much debate about it in Kenya that circumcision has become a political issue. Science has put the sexual part of the debate to rest.

According to new scientific research, when it comes to sexual pleasure, it doesn’t matter whether a man’s foreskin has been surgically removed or not.

Researchers from Queen’s University in Canada came to these findings after surveying 196 people who were in relationships with men.

The study subjects were questioned in regard to their partner’s circumcision status as well as their sex lives.

MORE HYGIENIC

The researchers found that the study subjects reported different preferences. The women seemed to prefer circumcised partners perhaps because this is what is in line with societal expectations. They also reported that they find this more attractive and more hygienic.

When it came to the quality of sex however, the circumcision status did not matter. It had no effect on a partner’s desire, arousal, satisfaction and ability to orgasm.

Women with uncircumcised partners reported slightly higher levels of satisfaction though the researchers decided that this difference was statistically insignificant.

Explaining the findings which have been published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, Jennifer Bossio the study lead said: “Although people notice whether a man is circumcised or not, at the end of the day, it doesn’t seem to have a really big impact on their sex lives.

“Even if a woman really prefers a man with a circumcised penis and gets into a relationship with one who isn’t circumcised, at the end of the day, I don’t think he has much to worry about.”

TAKING SIDES

The researchers however emphasized that the study wasn’t taking any sides in the circumcision debate.

The findings should however boosts men’s confidence and stop them from obsessing about how they are viewed in the bedroom.

“Women and men, they tend to be really, really happy with their partner’s circumcision status, regardless of what that is,” Jennifer Bossio reassures.

The health benefits of circumcision can’t be emphasized enough. In another study which has been published in the journal PLOS One, circumcision works by reducing HIV transmissions by up to 60 percent. In fact, it is one of the major interventions to reduce HIV transmission.

If a man however chooses to engage in sexual relations before he has completely healed his circumcision wound, then he undoes all this.

The research which was conducted on HIV-infected men in Uganda found that having sex before healing the circumcision wound in fact increased the spread of the virus. It is recommended that men abstain from sex for six weeks following circumcision.