Evidence-based policies, risks and benefits | References |
AAP and CDC policy statements concluded that benefits exceed risks. AAP and CDC supported the right of parents to have a boy circumcised | CDC [9] , AAP [7] [8] |
CDC researchers found adverse events from NMC were 0.4% and virtually all minor | El Bcheraoui et al. [10] |
AAP stated the serious complications were rare (0.02%) | AAP [8] |
CDC stated benefits of NMC exceed risks by over 100:1 | CDC [9] |
Over their lifetime half of uncircumcised males will experience an adverse medical condition caused by their foreskin | Morris et al. [32] [33] |
Criticisms of the AAP policy by MC opponents were repudiated. | By the AAP [55] By academics [24] [56] [57] [58] |
Criticisms of CDC draft recommendations by MC opponents were repudiated | By the CDC [62] . By academics [23] [63] [64] |
Victorians espoused MC for protection against syphilis, other STIs, phimosis, paraphimosis, balanitis, preputial adhesions, and inferior hygiene | Hutchinson [16] [19] , Anonymous [17] , Sayre [18] |
Sexual function, sensitivity and pleasure | References |
These do not to differ by MC status: systematic reviews meta-analyses RCTs a large British survey |
Morris & Krieger [61] , Tian et al. [72] , Yang et al. [73] , Shabanzadeh et al. [74] Kigozi et al. [70] , Krieger et al. [71] Homfray et al. [75] |
Neuroreceptors for sexual pleasure (genital corpuscles) are mostly in the corona and near the frenulum, not the foreskin | Halata & Munger [80] , Cox et al. [76] |
Fine-touch sensitivity study by MC opponents contained serious flaws | Waskett & Morris [120] , Bossio et al. [53] |
Foreskin sensitivity does not differ from other sites | Bossio et al. [53] |
Fine touch is not relevant to erogenous sensation | Cox et al. [76] |
Sensitivity of the glans to touch decreases with sexual arousal, thus further ruling out touch receptors in sexual sensation | Payne et al. [125] |
Sensitivity of the penis to vibration to cause orgasm is not related to MC status | Cox et al. [76] |
Circumcised men were non-significantly more sexually sensitive than uncircumcised men | Bleustein et al. [126] |
The foreskin is not the most sensitive part of the penis to other types of sensation | Bleustein et al. [126] |
Claim of sexual problems and orgasm difficulties by circumcised men contained substantial flaws | Morris et al. [138] , Morris & Krieger [61] , Meyrowitsch [139] |
Women prefer circumcised male partners and MC for sons (recent systematic reviews) | Grund et al. [104] , Morris et al. [105] |
No difference in perception of sexual sensation between circumcised and uncircumcised men | Crosby & Charnigo [155] , Crosby et al. [156] |
No difference in condom use or number of partners between circumcised and uncircumcised men (review) | Moreton [157] , Kabwama et al. [199] |
Controversies over medical consequences of MC | References |
Meatal stenosis meta-analysis found prevalence in circumcised males is actually quite low (0.656%) | Morris & Krieger [116] |
Meatal stenosis occurs in both circumcised and uncircumcised males, increasing in the latter with age | Morris & Krieger [117] |
Urethral strictures do not differ in prevalence between circumcised and uncircumcised infants | El Bcheraoui et al. [10] |
An anti-MC claim of 117 deaths annually from NMC in US was shown to be false | Morris et al. [67] |
Some claims by MC opponents are fabrications | Moreton [118] , Schaab [176] |