Body Image Surveys Examine Men's (Dis)Satisfaction with Circumcision

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Body Image Surveys Examine
Men's (Dis)Satisfaction with Circumcision
See also (on this page): Factors Affecting Circumcision Satisfaction

Australian Forum, 1989
180 circumcised and intact men

In 1989, an Australian Forum survey discovered that "Quite a lot of circumcised men (20%) were dissatisfied with the way they had been cut," while "18% of the circumcised men would rather not have been." (Circumcision: What You Think, Australian Forum, vol. 2, no. 11, p. 10-29, 1989)

Journeymen, 1992
197 circumcised and intact men
Graphics: Garcia Communications


CIRCUMCISED RESPONDENTS	INTACT RESPONDENTS

38.3%		79.7%
20.2%		3.2%
41.4%		17.3%

Men's Confidential, 1996
number of respondents not reported

Group (% of Total)	Circumcised in Infancy (46%)	Intact (32%)	Circumcised as Adult (17%)	Circumcised Partially (5%)
Happy	23%	31%	33%	N/A
Not happy	23%	1%	33%	N/A
Unsure	54%	68%	33%	N/A

Ratios within populations are more revealing. Among the 46% of men circumcised in infancy with a definite opinion about their genital condition, the ratio of happy to unhappy men was 50:50. The ratio of men happy to be intact versus those who were unhappily intact was 31:1 (97% vs. 3%). The lowest satisfaction rate was observed in those circumcised in infancy. A sizable number of respondents were circumcised as adults to relieve an infection, which can be easily cured with antibiotics rather than surgery. Adult circumcision appears to have improved the lives of only 33% of respondents, while 66% reported dubious benefit or dissatisfaction. (Circumcision Uncut, Men's Confidential, March 1996, p.10-11)

Factors Affecting Circumcision Satisfaction

Generally, men circumcised in infancy remain uninformed about circumcision and its effects. A 1958 study found that one third of circumcised men were unaware they had been circumcised.¹ A 1991 study revealed that 34% of circumcised adolescents reported their status incorrectly.² Circumcised boys were unsure of their status more than intact boys (28% versus 8%). The authors also determined that, "(F)actors affecting satisfaction with circumcision status are currently not known and need to be examined." They added, "Since the desire to be similar to peers typically fades during progression into later adolescence and adulthood, the effect of increasing age on satisfaction also needs to be examined."

Examination of these factors and effects is hindered by circumcised men’s ignorance of normal penile physiology. Other factors limiting reliable assessment may include subjects’ beliefs that circumcision is beneficial or benign; not knowing how to identify circumcision harm; assumptions that iatrogenic (doctor-caused) irregularities are ‘normal’ or ‘a birth defect’; and denial that any harm was done. Reorganization of erogenous zones in circumcised women has been described.³ If, in males, other genital zones assume the erotic functions of the amputated prepuce, this too may hinder ability to thoroughly comprehend one’s loss.

1 Lilienfeld A, Graham S. Validity in determining circumcision status by questionnaire as related to epidemiological studies of cancer of the cervix. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1958; 21:713

2 Schlossberger NM, Turner RA, Irwin Jr. CE. Early Adolescent Knowledge and Attitudes About Circumcision: Methods and Implications for Research. Journal of Adolescent Health 1991;12:293-7

3 Megafu U. Cited in Lightfoot-Klein H. Prisoners of Ritual: An Odyssey into Female Genital Circumcision in Africa New York: Harrington Park Press 1989:92

See also:

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