Does circumcision help protect a man from developing a sexually transmitted disease ?

Circumcision against STDs?

DOES circumcision help protect a man from developing a sexually transmitted disease (STD)?

A study analysed data on 499 men; 201 had been circumcised before age three. By age 32, 117 of the men reported that they'd had a sexually transmitted infection, most often genital warts, chlamydia or genital herpes. The infection rate was virtually the same - about 23%; - whether men had or had not been circumcised as a child.

Who may be affected? Men. In the United States, about 65% of all boy babies are circumcised, meaning the skin that covers the tip of the penis is surgically removed. The decision often is based on cultural or religious views or personal preference rather than medical necessity.

Caveats: Data on STDs came from questionnaires completed by the men. The authors wrote that other research has provided "compelling evidence" that circumcision lowers the risk of men's contracting H1V infectionm through sex with women.

You can find this study in the March issue of theJournal of Pediatrics. Learn more about circumcision at www.familydoctor.org and www.kidshealth.org (click "For Parents").