Circumcision May Reduce Penile Sensitivity

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Apr 13 - Findings from a new study suggest that circumcised penises are less sensitive than their uncircumcised counterparts.

The study, which is reported in the April issue of BJU International, was conducted by a research team headed by Dr. Morris Sorrells and Dr. Mark D. Reiss, both affiliates of Doctors Opposing Circumcision, a group opposed to non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision.

As reported in BJU International for April, the study involved a comparison of penile sensitivity between 68 uncircumcised and 91 circumcised men. Semmes-Weinstein monofilament touch-test sensory evaluators were used to assess sensitivity.

The glans of circumcised penises was less sensitive to fine touch than that of uncircumcised penises, the report indicates.

Maximum sensitivity locations also differed by penis type. In circumcised penises, the ventral surface at the site of the circumcision scar was most sensitive, whereas the most sensitive in uncircumcised penises was the transitional region from the external to the internal prepuce. Five regions typically removed during circumcision were found to be more sensitive than the ventral surface at the site of the circumcision scar.

The authors call for additional studies using vibratory, hot, and cold stimuli to better understand how sensitivity changes with circumcision.

BJU Int 2007;99:864-869.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/555201?src=mp