ISRN Urology, Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 109846, 42 pages, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/109846 Sexually Transmitted Infections and Male Circumcision: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

An article by Robert S. Van Howe of the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. He performed a systematic review and meta-analyses of studies to determine the effects of male circumcision on various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). From the Abstract:

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, and human papillomavirus are not significantly impacted by circumcision. Syphilis showed mixed results with studies of prevalence suggesting intact men were at great risk and studies of incidence suggesting the opposite. Intact men appear to be of greater risk for genital ulcerative disease while at lower risk for genital discharge syndrome, nonspecific urethritis, genital warts, and the overall risk of any sexually transmitted infection. In studies of general populations, there is no clear or consistent positive impact of circumcision on the risk of individual sexually transmitted infections. Consequently, the prevention of sexually transmitted infections cannot rationally be interpreted as a benefit of circumcision, and any policy of circumcision for the general population to prevent sexually transmitted infections is not supported by the evidence in the medical literature.