Male Circumcision Clinical Trials

There are currently no ongoing randomized controlled clinical trials of medical male circumcision for HIV prevention. Data from three clinical trials conducted in sub-Saharan Africa have shown that medically performed circumcision is safe and can reduce men's risk of HIV infection during vaginal sex by about 60 percent. In a trial of male circumcision in HIV-positive men, no statistically significant conclusions could be drawn regarding the possible protective effect for female partners of HIV-positive men. However, men who resumed sex prior to wound healing were more likely to transmit HIV to their female partners. Summaries of these trials and their results can be found in the male circumcision trials table.

View the table of completed trials of male circumcision for HIV prevention. Additional information on clinical research, as well as additional areas of research in male circumcision, such as operations research, etc, can be found at the trials page of the Clearinghouse on Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention.