To Snip or Not to Snip
Dr. Jenni Skyler of the Intimacy Institute
Dear Dr. Jenni,
My boyfriend and I are starting to talk about having kids in the future. If we have a boy, we are deliberating as to whether we should have him circumcised or not. My boyfriend is circumcised and is eager to have the same procedure for our future son. I am skeptical if this is needed. Is it cleaner to have him circumcised? Will it reduce his sexual pleasure in the future?
Concerned in College
Dear CnC,
It’s fabulous that you are asking this question and having this important conversation with your boyfriend. Circumcision is usually performed for religious, cosmetic, and/or hygienic reasons; however there is no medical indication for the procedure. Removal of foreskin does make it easier to clean the penis, and research shows that those circumcised have a slightly lower risk of getting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). That said, a daily shower, including a good scrub down of the foreskin and entire genital area, can handle the hygiene issue; and it goes without saying that condoms are enormously more safe and effective in preventing STIs than circumcision.
As for sexual sensation, the research differs. It’s safe to say that most adult men, circumcised or not, derive great pleasure from their penis and find their head to be highly sensitive. Yet, we know for sure that the foreskin is chocked full with nerve-endings. Because of this, some experts claim that circumcision shortchanges sexual sensation, as the penis skin has had to develop a tougher exterior in the absence of foreskin protection. This may be evidenced in men who need harder thrusting during intercourse to obtain maximum physical sensation. On the other hand, studies of adult men who have lived part of their life with their foreskin, and part of their life without it, do not demonstrate considerable loss of sensation upon circumcision.
At the end of the day, you may want to defer this important decision to your soon-to-be son and empower him to make his own informed choice when he gets older.
Dr. Jenni
