Friday, December 5, 2014

Does Having Sex with an Uncircumcised Guy Make You More Likely to Catch an STD?

Does Having Sex with an Uncircumcised Guy Make You More Likely to Catch an STD?

The health differences between cut and uncut dudes

Differences in appearance and sensation aren't the only things you should know about hooking up with an uncircumcised dude. The CDC announced this week that they're proposing new recommendations about elective circumcisions, suggesting that doctors counsel parents and male patients on the health benefits of circumcision, noting that research shows it reduces the risk of HIV, herpes, and HPV.

"For many years, we told people the only health benefit of circumcision was a decreased risk of urinary tract infection," says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine. "But we're finding that there are many other health benefits to making this choice."

But, wait—does this mean that doing the deed with an uncircumcised man puts you at a higher risk for contracting an STI?

RELATED: Do You Care If a Guy is Circumcised or Not?

"To be exact, yes, if uncircumcised men are more likely to get infected with [an STD], then they'd be more likely to transmit," says Minkin. Of course, this doesn't mean that you should forgo condoms with a circumcised guy. "The data is certainly suggestive that circumcised males are at less risk of acquiring—and then transmitting—certain STDs, but not to the point of saying it's okay to not use a condom."

RELATED: Your Guide to Uncircumcised Guys

Minkin says that within the last 20 years, more and more parents have elected to leave their boys uncircumcised, viewing the procedure as an unnecessary risk to their child. In fact, data from the CDC in 2013 found that just 58 percent of newborns born that year were circumcised, which is down from 65 percent in 1979. If that trend continues in a downward direction, young women today may be more likely to run into a man who's retained his foreskin. Still, Minkin says you should treat an uncut partner the same way you would a snipped partner—and that means still using a condom with any new guy. "Until you are totally sure you are in a mutually monogamous relationship and he has been tested and is negative for everything, then use a condom, circumcised or not." 

RELATED: Circumcised vs. Uncircumcised: 4 Things You Should Know

uncircumcised.jpg

Powered by WPeMatico

No comments:

Post a Comment