Men circumcised during childhood would have more difficulty creating a bond with their partner in adulthood.
- Worldwide, one in three men are circumcised.
- Circumcised men would have more difficulty bonding with others but their sexual desire is increased
- This intervention, recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, would offer protection against infections
A third of men are circumcised in the world. Generally performed for religious reasons, but sometimes medical, this surgical act consists in removing the foreskin. Most of the time, it is performed in the first months after birth. In research from Aarhus University, published in the journal Heliyon, researchers are interested in the long-term consequences of circumcision.
More difficulties to create a link
“We wanted to challenge the idea that there would be no long-term consequences of child circumcision, except for those related to the physical, because of the absence of a foreskin.“, explains Michael Winterdahl, co-author of the study. To achieve this, they decided to interview circumcised and uncircumcised men. A total of 619 men participated in the study: 408 of them been circumcised during the first month of their life, the rest of the participants did not undergo circumcision.All answered questionnaires, which related in particular to their capacity to create bonds with the others or to manage the stress.
The analysis of their responses shows that circumcised men have more difficulty creating a bond with their partner and are rather unstable from an emotional point of view, but feel more sexual desire on average. “The study found no difference when it came to empathy or trust“, specify the researchers. They explain that circumcised men are exposed to a higher risk of couple problems. “Our results are particularly interesting for parents who wish to make an informed choice regarding the circumcision of their child.“, emphasizes Michael Winterdahl.
A means of prevention against infections?
From a physical point of view, the benefits of circumcision are regularly highlighted. In 2013, scientists from the University of Washington conducted research to understand how this surgical procedure protects men from certain sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). They found that circumcised men have less bacteria in their penis microbiome, this lower bacterial concentration would offer protection against infections. For this reason, it is recommended to circumcise young boys in some countries, especially those where AIDS is very present. Thus the World Health Organization considers circumcision as an act of prevention since 2007.”Countries with high rates of HIV infection through heterosexual transmission and low prevalence of circumcision now have a new intervention that can reduce the risk of HIV infection among heterosexual menexplained Kevin De Cock, director of the HIV/AIDS department at the WHO, in a report. Expanding access to circumcision in these countries will directly benefit individuals.”
Circumcision, recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics
But these countries are not the only ones to recommend circumcision for young boys. In the United States, the authorities are in favor of this medical procedure. In one report of 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that “the health benefits of newborn circumcision outweigh the risks“. In France, between 10 and 15% of men are circumcised.
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