Research on circumcision and sexuality is crucial to help us get a better understanding of what impact circumcision has on human sexuality. Unfortunately, the current body of research suffers from many problems which can make it confusing to navigate, and at times difficult to trust. If you’re trying to make your way through the murky waters of sex and circumcision research, consider some of these common research pitfalls.
Researcher Bias
Most studies about circumcision and sexuality begin with a hypothesis that is clearly pro- or anti-circumcision. In all cases, the results of these studies do little more than confirm the authors’ original hypotheses. It should be noted that most of these authors don’t consider being against circumcision to be a bias, they simply consider it the only position for a physician to take. Being a member of one group or another shouldn't disqualify you from participating, but as laypeople it’s important for us to know where our information is coming from.Problems with Participant Selection
Studies claim to be representative but you need to read them carefully. One study that claimed this recruited all their participants by using a newsletter of an anti-circumcision organization. Other studies that have compared adults before and after circumcision rely on adults who had a physical problem prior to circumcision. If the circumcision relieved the problem, the results will be skewed.Defining Circumcision
Researchers use terms like “sexual sensitivity” and “sexual pleasure” interchangeably, and don’t provide their definitions for these terms. From one study to the next, these terms are used and not defined, making it difficult to piece studies together. For example, sensitivity might mean:- the number of nerve endings in a penis
- how the penis responds to being pinched or poked with a needle
- how much the man says he feels during sex
Confusing Relationships with Causality
Most of this research is correlational and isn’t able to imply causality. Researchers may find that circumcised men experience sexuality differently than uncircumcised men, but they have no way of knowing whether circumcision is the cause of this difference. Sometimes the correlational approach can reach absurd heights as in one study which linked circumcision to everything from reduced sexual satisfaction to increased violent feelings towards women to addiction to low self-esteem.The Bottom Line:
What stands out most after reviewing dozens of studies is how different the results can be from one study to the next. With such conflicting results one has to wonder about how careful these researchers are being in both their data collection and analysis, or if they are even measuring what they think they’re measuring. It also raises the possibility that no meaningful generalizations can be made about the impact of circumcision on sexuality.
In January 2008 a study published in BJU International about sexual satisfaction, function, and circumcision did the best job so far of raising the methodological bar. The study was not without limitations or researcher bias (and the bias was, as usual, not given much weight) but both in size and design it points to hope for the future.
Whatever the case, such confusing data should make anyone think twice before taking “expert advice” as the final word on this subject.
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