This is seen by many people as a form of genital mutilation, similar to what they do in west/central/northeastern Africa to women, practice aimed to decrease sexual sensitivity and pleasure.

Many researches have revealed a decreased penis sensitivity in the case of circumcised penises. But a new research made at the Department of Psychology of McGill University in Montreal comes to challenge this. The authors say that sexual sensation in circumcised and uncircumcised men may not be so notable after all. They made genital sensory testing on circumcised and uncircumcised men during states of sexual arousal and non-arousal.

The results revealed no difference between the two groups in sensitivity to touch or pain. "This study suggests that preconceptions of penile sensory differences between circumcised and uncircumcised men may be unfounded," said lead author Dr. Kimberley Payne.

"People have been arguing about the sexual effects of circumcision for at least 1,000 years and I hope these data will encourage more research," said co-author Dr. Yitzchak M. Binik, Professor of Psychology at McGill and Director of the Sex and Couple Therapy Service of the McGill University Health Center.

The authors signal that the scar tissue formed from circumcision, but also the functional and mechanical changes linked to sexual activity, are factors that could have secondary effects on the genital sensitivity and should be investigated in future researches.

"In this fascinating study performed by renowned sexual medicine researchers, not only do they dispel the myth that the glans penis is more sensitive in the uncircumcised male due to the protective function of the foreskin, but they show that both circumcised and uncircumcised participants were less sensitive to touch overall during sexual arousal. This appears to be an important factor in the normal sexual response and pleasure," wrote Irwin Goldstein, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

"While more research is needed, diminishing genital sensitivity during sexual arousal may be an important factor helping protect against pain during sexual activity."