There has always been a debate amongst men and women as to what is preferred: circumcised or uncircumcised?

There is a growing body of evidence worldwide, which suggests that women prefer to have sex with a circumcised male partner. Some find it unhygienic to be intimate with a man who hasn’t been circumcised. Many women also claim that sex with a circumcised man lasts longer and offers more pleasure.

This is of course always going to be subjective, so let’s talk about some facts. Cervical cancer is the most common female cancer in women aged 15 to 44 years in South Africa, and it is the leading cause of female cancer deaths in South Africa. Why is cervical cancer important in a debate on circumcision? Because circumcision reduces a man’s chances of getting the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and passing this onto his partner, and HPV is a leading cause of cervical cancer.

HPV can be passed even when an infected person has no signs or symptoms. It can also be spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. HPV causes almost 100% of cervical cancers with HPV 16 and 18 contributing to over 70% of cervical cancers.

While the HPV vaccine is becoming more readily available, and cervical screening is available and encouraged, male circumcision can also play an important role in reducing male-to-female HPV transmission.

All women should encourage their male partners to undergo circumcision as it not only reduces a women’s risk of contracting HPV and cervical cancer but also reduces the risk of genital warts and other common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in men and women. It also reduces a man’s risk of contracting HIV by up to 60% and lowers his risk of penile cancer.

To find out more information or where you or your partner, can undergo free medical male circumcision: send your full name to 35255 and a trained VMMC counsellor will call you back.