To cut or not to cut the penis's foreskin is a choice that parents have to make when they have a baby boy. While the decision could be an easy one for some parents who belong to certain groups, such as followers of the Jew of Islam religion, for some it is a dilemma because of conflicting beliefs about the impact of circumcision on the male child's health as well as his future sexual pleasure.

YouTube/Nick B.

Decision-making would be easier now because of more information available about the medical procedure which involves cutting the foreskin of the penis. A new study made by Australian scientists, based on close analysis of 40 studies, concluded that circumcision has no effect on sensitivity of the male sex organ or sexual satisfaction derived during lovemaking.

Professor Brian Harris, leader author of the study, said, quoted by Shalom Life, "The health benefits of male circumcision have been well documented, including substantially lower risks of HIV and other viral and some bacterial sexually transmitted infections."

"It also lowers rates of penile cancer and possibly prostate cancer - and women whose partners are circumcised have lower rates of cervical cancer and infections such as HPV and chlamydia," he added.

The study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, is based on a compilation of 36 previous researches that had more than 40,000 respondents, 50 per cent of whom are circumcised.

Mr Morris stressed that circumcision has "no overall adverse effect on penile sensitivity, sexual arousal, sexual sensation, erectile function, premature ejaculation, duration of intercourse, orgasm difficulties, sexual satisfaction, pleasure or pain during penetration."

In one study which had male Kenyans as respondents, 72 per cent of the men said being cut even increased the sensitivity of their organs after the medical procedure.

Many western countries now discourage infant male circumcision, while in some nations where the procedure is common such as the Philippines, boys from the rural areas often undergo the procedure during summer break when they reach pre-puberty to allow them time to heal.

YouTube/MICHAEL ANGELO

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