Male Circumcision

What is circumcision?

Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the skin that normally covers and protects the head (glans) of the penis.

When is male circumcision performed?

In some cultures, circumcision of baby boys is part of a religious ritual (e.g., in Judaism and Islam). In some cultures, male circumcision at puberty is performed as a cultural practice for passage into manhood. Circumcision is also a common practice in some countries for other than cultural or religious reasons (e.g., in the United States), and it is sometimes performed for medical reasons (e.g., where there is tightening of the foreskin that prevents the foreskin to cover or uncover the glans penis). 

Ritual male circumcision is performed on baby boys, whereas cultural circumcision is usually done at puberty.  For uncircumcised boys and men, circumcision would be performed as a medical procedure when there is tightening of the foreskin (phimosis) that it makes it difficult or impossible to uncover the head of the penis or to move it forward over (cover) the glans penis (paraphomsis).

Physical changes:

Removal of the foreskin does not interfere with urinary or sexual function.

Effect on sexuality:

Most believe that circumcision does not diminish sexual function for men or their partners. Some believe that circumcision alters the nerve structure, lubricating capacity, and texture of the skin of the head of the penis, thereby changing the sexual functioning.

Adapted from: AVSC International, 1999, Self-Instructional Module: STDs, HIV/AIDS, and Sexuality, New York; and Bullough, V. L., and Bullough, B., 1994, “Circumcision: Male Effects Upon Human Sexuality,” Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia, New York, Garland Pub., pp. 119–122.

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