Is my uncircumcised partner causing my infections?
Dear Dr Mitchell,
What are the health risks of having sex with a man who is uncircumcised? Whenever I have unprotected sex with my boyfriend I either get a yeast infection or a UTI, something that does not happen when we use condoms. I’m forced to believe that this may be because there are germs under his foreskin. Could I be right? My previous boyfriend was circumcised and I have never had any problems while having unprotected intercourse with him.
Circumcision is not a commonly done surgical procedure and usually it is mostly done by parents in a setting where the father of the child has been circumcised and elects to do this on his male child at birth. In some males the foreskin is tight and difficult to pull back and this can result in tears in the foreskin during sexual activity and significant swelling around the head of the penis (glans) because of infection with a tight foreskin. It is difficult to wash properly and some men just don’t bother to pull back and wash properly with each bath. This can result in the accumulation of bacteria, vaginal secretions and semen under the foreskin and can cause significant odour and infection. This area also harbours the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which can cause cancer of the cervix, mouth, pharynx and the anus. Anal cancer is a significant risk if anal sexual activity is practised with the presence of HPV infection.
In the majority of men, the foreskin readily pulls back and with proper hygiene and regular washing there is no increased risk for infection in couples where the man is not circumcised. It is important for your partner to get a proper check up and get swabs done to see if he has an infection. The doctor will also determine if he really has a problem with a tight foreskin. If this is a significant problem, then circumcision can be done quite readily with a good outcome. It is also important to make sure that he does not have other sexual partners since the repeated infections may be due to re-infection from a third party. This is important since this will also increase your risk of major sexually transmitted infections including Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV).
You should also get a blood glucose and a HIV test done to determine if the recurrent infections are possibly due to underlying diabetes mellitus or an immunocompromised state.
Consult your doctor who will advise you further. Best wishes
Dr Sharmaine Mitchell is an obstetrician and gynaecologist. Send questions via e-mail to allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com; write to All Woman, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Ave, Kingston 5; or fax to 968-2025. All responses are published. Dr Mitchell cannot provide personal responses.
DISCLAIMER:
The contents of this article are for informational purposes only and must not be relied upon as an alternative to medical advice or treatment from your own doctor.
