Circumcision is genital mutilation and needs to be banned immediately.

The functions of the foreskin and the adverse effects of circumcision

The foreskin has several functions and accounts for most of the sensitivity of the penis.

A comparison of the sensitivity of an uncircumcised penis and a circumcised one.

The normal glans is an internalized structure, only exposed briefly during urination, washing, and sexual arousal. Its surface is moist and is not keratinised. However, circumcision converts the glans into an exposed organ. Immediately after the operation, it retains its exquisite sensitivity, and contact with clothing causes considerable discomfort, but it soon becomes desensitised, probably as a result of the laying down of a layer of keratin on the epithelium. A few circumcised men report persistent discomfort from contact with clothing throughout their lives. The epithelium takes on the character of skin instead of a mucous membrane.

Not only is the appearance of the glans altered, but also there is a dramatic loss of sensitivity.

A keratinised circumcised penis and an uncircumcised penis.

No data is collected on the complications and risks of circumcision in America as there is no legal obligation to do so. Infections, hemorrhages, meatal strictures, (partial) amputations of the penis, and deaths occur. Even circumcisions performed in sterile environments result in a lot of complications. Over 100 babies die in the US every year because of complications during the procedure. When circumcision is performed in other, less developed countries, the risks are even higher.

Pictures of complications in adults

Pictures of complications in infants

Pictures of complications in tribal men

Many cut men suffer from meatal stenosis

• Fine‐touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis

CONCLUSIONS: The glans of the circumcised penis is less sensitive to fine touch than the glans of the uncircumcised penis. The transitional region from the external to the internal prepuce is the most sensitive region of the uncircumcised penis and more sensitive than the most sensitive region of the circumcised penis. Circumcision ablates the most sensitive parts of the penis.

• Male circumcision decreases penile sensitivity as measured in a large cohort

CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the importance of the foreskin for penile sensitivity, overall sexual satisfaction, and penile functioning. Furthermore, this study shows that a higher percentage of circumcised men experience discomfort or pain and unusual sensations as compared with the uncircumcised population. Before circumcision without medical indication, adult men, and parents considering circumcision of their sons, should be informed of the importance of the foreskin in male sexuality.

• The effect of male circumcision on sexuality

CONCLUSIONS: There was a decrease in masturbatory pleasure and sexual enjoyment after circumcision, indicating that adult circumcision adversely affects sexual function in many men, possibly because of complications of the surgery and a loss of nerve endings.

• Clinical elicitation of the penilo‐cavernosus reflex in circumcised men

CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed the lower clinical and similar neurophysiological elicitability of the penilo‐cavernosus reflex in circumcised men and in men with foreskin retraction. Circumcised men lack the reflexiogenic nerves of the ridged band and frenulum which trigger this action. Most intact men enjoy multiple orgasms while few circumcised men experience them.

• The prepuce: specialised mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision

CONCLUSIONS: The amount of tissue loss estimated in the present study is more than most parents envisage from pre‐operative counselling. Circumcision also ablates junctional mucosa that appears to be an important component of the overall sensory mechanism of the human penis.

• Erectile function evaluation after adult circumcision

CONCLUSIONS: Adult circumcision has certain effect on erectile function, to which more importance should be attached.

• Male circumcision and sexual function in men and women: a survey-based, cross-sectional study in Denmark

CONCLUSIONS: Circumcision was associated with frequent orgasm difficulties in Danish men and with a range of frequent sexual difficulties in women, notably orgasm difficulties, dyspareunia and a sense of incomplete sexual needs fulfilment. Thorough examination of these matters in areas where male circumcision is more common is warranted.

• Variability in penile appearance and penile findings: a prospective study

CONCLUSIONS: There are significant variations of appearance in circumcised boys; clinical findings are much more common in these boys than previously reported in retrospective studies. The circumcised penis requires more care than the intact penis during the first 3 years of life. Parents should be instructed to retract and clean any skin covering the glans in circumcised boys, to prevent adhesions forming and debris from accumulating. Penile inflammation (balanitis) may be more common in circumcised boys; preputial stenosis (phimosis) affects circumcised and intact boys with equal frequency. The revision of circumcision for purely cosmetic reasons should be discouraged on both medical and ethical grounds.

• Cultural background, non-therapeutic circumcision and the risk of meatal stenosis and other urethral stricture disease: Two nationwide register-based cohort studies in Denmark 1977–2013

CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides population-based epidemiological evidence that circumcision removes the natural protection against meatal stenosis and, possibly, other USDs as well.

• A comparison of condom use perceptions and behaviours between circumcised and intact men attending sexually transmitted disease clinics in the United States

CONCLUSIONS: Multivariate findings supported the conclusion that intact men may use condoms more frequently and that confidence predicts use, suggesting that intervention programmes should focus on building men's confidence to use condoms, especially for circumcised men.

• The psychological impact of circumcision.

CONCLUSIONS: There is strong evidence that circumcision is overwhelmingly painful and traumatic. Behavioral changes in circumcised infants have been observed 6 months after circumcision. The physical and sexual loss resulting from circumcision is gaining recognition, and some men have strong feelings of dissatisfaction about being circumcised.

• ORIGINAL RESEARCH—EJACULATION DISORDERS: A Multinational Population Survey of Intravaginal Ejaculation Latency Time31189-9/fulltext))

CONCLUSIONS: The IELT distribution is positively skewed. The overall median value was 5.4 minutes but with differences between countries. For all five countries, median IELT values were independent of condom usage. In countries excluding Turkey, the median IELT values were independent of circumcision status.

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