Study: Circumcision Removes Most Sensitive Penis Parts

Studies have found that there are five sensitive areas to a male penis. Ultimately, researchers aim to discover how circumcision affects what a man feels. Circumcision involves the removal of skin that covers the tip of the penis, also called the foreskin, and is the most commonly used medical procedure used in new born infants in the United States. In a finding detailed in the British Journal of Urology (BJU) International, an estimated 60 percent of male babies are subject to this surgery.

According to Live Science, Morris Sorrells of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resources Center and fellow researchers mapped out a "penis sensitivity map" by measuring the sensitivity of 19 locations on the penises of 159 male volunteers. Out of the 159 participants, 91 of the people were circumcised as infants and surprisingly, the data showed that none had a history of penile or sexual dysfunction.

According to the researcher's findings, the most sensitive region of a male penis is the circumcision scar on the underside of the penis. For uncircumcised penises, the most sensitive areas were five regions that were normally removed during the circumcision procedure. All five of these regions were more sensitive than the most sensitive part of the circumcised penis.

The surgical process is practiced in several different countries including the United States. It is done for medical as well as cultural reasons throughout. Scientists studying sexual diseases agree that circumcision at a young age offers a degree of protection against contracting infections and sexual diseases. Recent studies have shed new light on this protective ability of circumcision, and researchers have stated that the procedure can lower the risks of HIV infection up to 60 percent in sex between males and females.

Robert Van Howe, a research member at Michigan State University disagrees with such claims though. "The health benefits that have been consistently shown are very small, and there are less aggressive, less invasive, less expensive ways of dealing with the problems circumcision is supposed to address," Van Howe told Live Science. In addition to the latter, Van Howe stated that other practices such as choosing sexual partners wisely and using condoms during sexual activity are far more effective than circumcision in protecting against diseases.

Certain groups oppose the practice of circumcision in that their belief is that the procedure is painful and not a life-saving procedure. Also, the process of removing the tip of the penis called the glans may also make sex less pleasurable by exposing and numbing it. To counter this, some have suggested foreskin restoration.

Other studies previous to the one conducted by Sorrells have found that circumcision led to minimal to no decrease in penile sensitivity. Sorrells answer to this contradictory data is that "Such findings are doubtful because many are based on self-reports from men who were circumcised to correct medical problems."

Ker Than. "Study: Circumcision Removes Most Sensitive Parts." Live Science. http://www.livescience.com/health/070615_penis_sensitivity.html