Benefits of male circumcision

Circumcision is not usually a medically mandatory requirement, but it can be done for a variety of reasons - from cultural traditions to religious beliefs to personal hygiene. Interestingly, some countries such as Africa are also promoting adult circumcision as an HIV prevention program.

What are the facts behind the benefits of this circumcision? Is it true that circumcision can prevent HIV transmission in adult men?

The benefits of circumcision to protect men from HIV transmission

Circumcision is a surgical procedure to remove the foreskin of the penis, prepuce eyebrows. There is three medical evidence that says circumcision can reduce a man's risk of getting HIV by up to 60 percent.

The same thing was echoed by the Institute for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, CDC. The CDC found that medically, in addition to preventing HIV transmission, the benefits of circumcision also help reduce the risk of other venereal diseases that can be transmitted through unprotected sex.

Circumcision procedures have also been reported to reduce a man's risk of contracting genital herpes and HPV infection, which are believed to be risk factors for penile cancer. In fact, circumcision during childhood is known to provide protection against penile cancer, which only occurs in the skin of the foreskin.

However, circumcision has not been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection acquired through oral or anal sex, nor to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to female partners.

How is HIV transmitted through the foreskin of the penis?

Having a foreskin is the number one risk factor for HIV infection in heterosexual men. Men who were not circumcised were at risk of HIV infection up to 2-8 times higher than men who were circumcised.

The HIV virus itself can spread through unprotected sexual penetration. When penetration occurs without a condom (penis into vagina or penis into anus), there will be direct friction between the skin of the penis and the vaginal wall (or anus). This friction is prone to causing abrasions.

These sores can become an entry point for viruses and bacteria that cause disease, which comes from the semen or vaginal fluids of your sex partner who is infected with the disease.

Not only that. When a man is uncircumcised, moisture can get trapped between his penis and foreskin, creating an ideal environment for disease-causing pathogens to breed. Moreover, there are several other problems associated with the uncircumcised foreskin of the penis, such as difficulty retracting or even jamming, which can cause sores and trap viruses and bacteria around them.

Uncircumcised men are also more likely to pass any infections they have, including yeast infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and venereal diseases (especially HPV and HIV), such as genital herpes, genital ulcers, chancroid, and syphilis to their sex partners. .

An uncircumcised penis can even put your female partner at a risk of venereal disease up to five times higher, including genital herpes, trichomonas vaginalis, bacterial vaginosis, sexually transmitted HPV (which causes cervical cancer), and possibly chlamydia, than women who have sex. with the circumcised man.

Circumcised or not, keep using condoms

Circumcision or not is the personal choice of each man. Both types of penises function equally well in both circumcised and uncircumcised men. In fact, problems around the penis such as impotence, premature ejaculation, and transmission of venereal diseases can both occur in both circumcised and uncircumcised men - depending on the risk factors you have.

Therefore, it is important to understand that circumcision is not a guaranteed protection method that frees you from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, let alone a substitute for a condom. Using a condom is still the best and most effective way to protect yourself from HIV and venereal disease if you are sexually active.