The Naked Truth: Ending the semester with a few quickies
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by Nellie Placencia on April 30, 2009 at 4:00 am under A&E
Hello again, reader. The Naked Truth wanted to give you a rundown on a few of the questions that didn’t make it to print this semester. The topics cover a wide range of sexual intrigue, so pay attention and take notes.
Q: What’s the point of anal sex?
A: For some of us, the act of anal sex can seem strange or intimidating. For most homosexual male couples, this is a popular option for love-making. Some women or heterosexual men enjoy anal stimulation as well; it just depends on what feels comfortable and pleasurable. Some men enjoy anal sex for a reason most of us don’t think about in the bedroom: prostate health.
Anal intercourse stimulates this sensitive gland that lies just below the bladder and right up against the rectum. Many men enjoy stimulation of the prostate, and some even call this area the “male g-spot.” Plus, proctologists agree regular stimulation of the prostate is good for prostate health and functioning. So if not for your sexual pleasure, do it for your sexual health!
Q: Do you believe a male being circumcised or not is a “big deal” when having sexual relations?
A: Many a man worries about his circumcised/uncircumcised penis when it comes to bedroom activities. Circumcision is when the foreskin of the penis is removed (most often a few days after a boy is born). Lack of foreskin isn’t going to put a damper on sex, as there is still sensitive skin on the penis that reacts to sexual sensations. It also isn’t going to put a damper on their partner’s sex life because having no foreskin doesn’t make the penis any smaller than it normally would be during an erection. On the flip side, having the foreskin on the penis doesn’t make it any “dirtier.” However, uncircumcised men should pay special attention to cleaning under the foreskin regularly.
Sometimes, the man’s partner may make a “big deal” about his circumcision status. Yet in the end, it’s important he feels comfortable with his penis. And considering all of the information mentioned above, circumcision isn’t going to make a difference during sex.
Q: Do sperm have eyes? If not, how do they know to go north for the summer?
A: We are assuming “going north” is a euphemism for traveling up the female reproductive system. To start off, sperm do not have eyes, because they are single-celled organisms. One thing that helps them in their quest for an egg is the flagellum, or that little tail that helps them swim. There are also environmental factors that point them in the right direction.
Sperm can live in the female reproductive system for a few days, but only a few hours in the vagina. The vagina is a very volatile environment for sperm because of its natural acidity. And because the sperm won’t last too long outside of the vagina either, their instinct is to swim up through the cervix into the uterus and fallopian tubes. If the woman has ovulated and an egg is present, that egg begins to emit certain chemical signals to which the sperm respond. Once they sense that chemical romance, they are further attracted up the fallopian tubes to their female counterpart.
That’s the last lesson we’ve got for you, faithful readers. We hope this semester has been filled with sexual enlightenment. So until September, have a fun, safe and, most importantly, sexy summer.
6 Comments
There are now medical studies that validate that the sexual function of circumcised males is not hurt in any way by the loss of the foreskin. Indeed, the foreskin — as a fertile ground for Langerhans cells — can increase the risk of HIV, STDs, and HPV in both the uncircumcised male and his female partners. That’s why the World Health Organization recommends male circumcision. Medical science has now tipped the foreskin debate in favor of being circumcised. http://mandatorycircumcision.blogspot.com/
And those studies are so misdesigned, that it is truly laughable to a man with a foreskin.
Circumcision removes or damages the two most responsive parts of a man, the frenulum and the inner foreskin. It makes what is meant to be moist mucous membrane, like the mouth and vagina, into something more like arm skin. If a man is 60% protected from HIV and HPV, then he has to wear a condom anyway, or infection is just a matter of time. If he has to use a condom to avoid infection, why not leave his penis whole, so he can at least gain all the pleasure nature meant him to.
Circumcision is illegal for a girl, or a dog, or anything but an infant male.
I wonder why? Studies show that circumcised girls are at less of a risk for HIV and HPV.
Why don’t we do it to them, if it is so beneficial for a boy.
No wonder the Europeans think we are barbaric regarding circumcision.
How many circumcised Americans have died of AIDS? Why is the HIV infection rate higher among American males, than among uncircumcised European males?
Any country which pushes mandatory circumcision, is one I will be leaving.
A foreskin is not a birth defect on a male, any more than it is on a female. 120 million years of mammal evolution has left very few mistakes, especially in the reproductive system.
Circumcised or uncircumcised, no man should be made to feel bad about himself or his penis. Especially not by his partner. However, I do want to mention a few things. Many men are upset that no one asked their permission to be circumcised. This is valid and should not be laughed at. It is also a good reason to look really long and hard at the reasons people still circumcise 56 percent of their boys in the US. The good news is that there is such a thing as foreskin restoration (tlctugger.com). For the uncircumcised guys, they are completely able to get circumcised if they so wish. However, most do not, probably because foreskin actually has many beneficial functions.
Why do circumcised men suffer impotency years before genitally intact men? (two studies) Why does the US consume 54% of the world’s production of Viagra? Why are Malaysian men (Muslim and circumcised) the world’s leading consumers of Viagra? Why is Israel (Jewish and circumcised) the worlds leading counterfieter of Viagra?
Why do circumcised men report premature ejaculation more often than genitally intact men?
Why does The US have both the highest circumcision rate among the industrialized nations and the highest HIV infection rate? If circumcision protects against HPV, how is it possible that an estimated 70% of Americans have been infected?
Until these questions can be answered with reasonable answers that can be verified, we must assume circumcision holds no benefit and does damage the sexuality of the man.
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Parents need to ask themselves, why is it that male babies are born with a covering over the tip of their penises? Nature/God gives male babies a perfectly functioning penis(with foreskin) and ignorant parents mutilate it – most likely because they don’t understand why the foreskin exists.
In the following article, a renown physician spells out why he is against genital mutilation.
Is Neonatal Circumcision Clinically Beneficial? Argument Against
Robert S. Van Howe
Nat Clin Pract Urol. 2009;6(2):74-75. ©2009 Nature Publishing Group
Posted 03/26/2009
Clinical benefit is only one facet of clinical decision making; medical risks and financial costs also need to be considered. For example, many of the benefits espoused by advocates of circumcision would be more effectively achieved by penectomy, which has the additional benefit of preventing unwanted pregnancies. Of course, penectomy is too invasive, and is not a practical solution. Many of the “clinical benefits” lauded by advocates of circumcision include reduced risk of phimosis, balanitis, urinary tract infections (UTIs), genital cancer and sexually transmitted infections (STIs); however, evidence for these benefits are weak or nonexistent, and several alternatives to circumcision are available that are more effective, less invasive, and less expensive.
Phimosis is as common in circumcised newborns as it is in boys who are not circumcised. Topical steroids are effective in approximately 85% of patients,[1] and could eliminate the need for newborn circumcision to avoid phimosis. Balanitis is more common in circumcised than uncircumcised boys under age 3 years, but may be more common in uncircumcised older boys. The only published adult study of balanitis showed that a referral bias occurred among circumcised men: the control group had a 47.8% circumcision rate,[2] but the participants were from the UK, where the circumcision rate is around 21%. Balanitis can typically be treated with topical antimicrobials.
Newborn boys are more likely to have urinary tract abnormalities compared with girls, particularly in the first 6 months of life; however, many boys later outgrow these abnormalities. Observational studies have found that uncircumcised boys are at increased risk of UTIs during the first 6 months, but this finding might be a result of differential rates of prematurity, urine collection, false-positive urine specimens, and the frequency at which health care is sought.[3] In the absence of anatomic defects, UTIs do not require surgery and can be treated with oral antibiotics. The risk of UTI resulting in chronic renal disease is remote.
Of the 16 studies that assessed whether an association exists between circumcision status and the risk of cervical cancer in female partners, only 1 study found a significant association: a positive association in 1 study out of 16 studies is what would be expected by chance alone. Furthermore, a newly available vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) could prevent most cases of cervical cancer. With regard to a reduced prostate cancer risk after circumcision, the medical evidence that supports this association is weak.[4] The incidence of penile cancer is rare (0.8 cases per 100,000); two case–control studies in the US found that, when adjusted for phimosis, newborn circumcision was not associated with penile cancer.[5,6] The association between phimosis and penile cancer might explain why only half of patients with penile cancers are positive for HPV DNA, whereas nearly all patients with cervical cancer have HPV DNA. The other half of patients with penile cancer are probably associated with balanitis xerotica obliterans, the leading cause of true phimosis. Countries with very low circumcision rates, such as Japan, Norway, Finland and Denmark, have a lower age-adjusted incidence of penile cancer than the US. Low-risk sexual practices combined with screening and treatment of HPV infection and phimosis may be more effective and less invasive than universal circumcision.
The effect of circumcision on STIs is varied. Circumcision status has no consistent association with herpes simplex virus 2, HPV, gonorrhea, or chlamydia.[7-9] Men who are not circumcised, particularly in Africa, are at a slightly greater risk of syphilis and genital ulcerative disease, but have a lower risk of genital discharge syndrome compared with circumcised men.[7-9] As genital discharge syndrome is more common than genital ulcers, the overall rate of STIs is greater in circumcised men. STIs can be prevented and/or treated more effectively, less invasively, and less expensively with condoms and antibiotics than with circumcision.
Randomized controlled trials in Africa have shown some efficacy for circumcision in preventing HIV infection; however, these trials have bias for both participants and researchers (e.g. selection, lead time, expectation, attrition, intervention and length), improper randomization and early study termination, which amplified the lead-time bias. Each type of bias contributed towards overestimating the treatment effect. Advocates for circumcision believe that data from these randomized controlled trials, which recruited motivated, self-selected, well-compensated, high-risk adults, can be extrapolated to the general population in Africa and to infants; however, no studies have shown an association between HIV and neonatal circumcision. On the contrary, in a study of 52,143 heterosexual men attending a sexual health clinic, circumcised men had a greater risk of HIV infection than uncircumcised men.[10] Among developed nations, the US has the highest rates of heterosexually transmitted HIV and newborn circumcision. Condoms, when used consistently, provide 99% protection. HIV infections can also be prevented by choosing sexual partners responsibly and by treating STIs. For the cost of every circumcision performed in Africa, 3,500 condoms can be purchased. As condoms can provide nearly complete protection from HIV infection, circumcision adds little value.
Circumcision removes a complex, pentilaminar, specialized, junctional structure that contains nearly all the penis’ fine-touch neuroreceptors. Not surprisingly, the foreskin is the most sensitive portion of the penis. Circumcision can reduce the sensitivity of the glans to fine-touch and vibration.[11,12] No wonder adults who undergo circumcision report less-satisfying sex, reduced sensitivity and erectile function, difficulty with intromission, and increased premature ejaculation.[13] Other commonly reported complications of circumcision include infection (1–3%), excessive bleeding (1–9%), meatitis (20%), meatal stenosis (5–8%), subcutaneous granuloma (5%), balanitis (16%), coronal adhesions (30%), skin bridges (2%), and phimosis (1–2%). Parents also request a repeat circumcision for cosmetic reasons in 2% of cases. Furthermore, circumcised newborn boys are 12 times more likely to acquire community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections than uncircumcised newborns.[14] Other less-common complications of circumcision include septicemia, meningitis, Fournier gangrene, staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, tetanus, herpes simplex infection, empyema, pubic hair strangulation, denudation of the penis, glans amputation, urethral fistula, penile edema, pyogenic granulomas, acute urinary retention with acute renal failure, ruptured bladder, UTI or urine advancing in subcutaneous fascial plains, penile ischemia, pneumothorax, pseudoparaphimosis, pulmonary embolism, unilateral leg cyanosis, gastric rupture, myocardial injury and erythema multiforme.
Circumcision has no medical indication during the newborn period, and it is not the first-line preventive for any illness. Very few adult men choose to be circumcised, full disclosure is a rarity, and parental proxy consent for newborn circumcision is not valid.[15] No reason exists that can justify why circumcision cannot wait until the infant is old enough to choose for himself. As a public health measure, newborn circumcision in the US has failed to show a benefit in protecting against cervical cancer, penile cancer, STIs, and HIV.
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References
Ashfield JE et al. (2003) Treatment of phimosis with topical steroids in 194 children. J Urol 169: 1106–1108
Mallon E et al. (2000) Circumcision and genital dermatoses. Arch Dermatol 136: 350–354
Van Howe RS (2005) Effect of confounding in the association between circumcision status and urinary tract infection. J Infect 51: 59–68
Van Howe RS (2007) Case number and the financial impact of circumcision in reducing prostate cancer. BJU Int 100: 1193–1194
Daling JR et al. (2005) Penile cancer: importance of circumcision, human papillomavirus and smoking in in situ and invasive disease. Int J Cancer 116: 606–616
Tseng HF et al. (2001) Risk factors for penile cancer: results of a population-based case–control study in Los Angeles County (United States). Cancer Causes Control 12: 267–277
Weiss HA et al. (2006) Male circumcision and risk of syphilis, chancroid, and genital herpes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sex Transm Infect 82: 101–109
Van Howe RS (2007) Genital ulcerative disease and sexually transmitted urethritis and circumcision: a meta-analysis. Int J STD AIDS 18: 799–809
Van Howe RS (2007) Human papillomavirus and circumcision: a meta-analysis. J Infect 54: 490–496
Mor Z et al. (2007) Declining rates in male circumcision amidst increasing evidence of its public health benefit. PLoS ONE 2: e861
Sorrells ML et al. (2007) Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis. BJU Int 99: 864–869
Yang DM et al. (2008) Circumcision affects glans penis vibration perception threshold [Chinese]. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue 14: 328–330
Fink KS et al. (2002) Adult circumcision outcomes study: effect on erectile function, penile sensitivity, sexual activity and satisfaction. J Urol 167: 2113–2116
Nguyen DM et al. (2007) Risk factors for neonatal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in a well-infant nursery. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 28: 406–411
Svoboda JS et al. (2000) Informed consent for neonatal circumcision: an ethical and legal conundrum. J Contemp Health Law Policy 17: 61–133
Reprint Address
Department of Pediatrics and Human Development Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, 1414 West Fair Avenue Suite 226, Marquette, MI 49855, USA; E-mail: rsvanhowe@mgh.org
Robert S. Van Howe, Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Marquette, MI, USA.
Disclosure: The author declared no competing interests
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