CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A New Zealand study suggests uncircumcised males have a three times higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases than do uncircumcised males.
The 25-year study, which started in 1977, monitored a cohort of 500 subjects from infancy through early adulthood. The study was designed to determine if circumcised males were more susceptible to STDs than were uncircumcised males.
"What we found was that uncircumcised males had a risk of sexually transmitted diseases which were about three times higher than circumcised males," said David Fergusson of the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Services, the lead author of the study, the Penn State Collegian reported.
The researchers say their findings suggested male circumcision might reduce the risk of STD acquisition and transmission by as much as 50 percent.
While the association between circumcision and major STDs, such as HIV, was solid, Fergusson said there was less of a link between circumcision and less severe infections such as gonorrhea and herpes.
The study appeared in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics.
