Sex With 20 Women Or More Reduces Risk Of Prostate Cancer, Canadian Research Says

A new research has revealed that men are less likely to have prostate cancer if they have sex with more than 20 women in their entire lifetime. On the contrary, the chance of getting diagnosed with prostate cancer is doubled for homosexuals who have 20 or more partners.

Researchers at the University of Montreal have come up with the data that heterosexual males who sleep with 20 or more women have a 28 percent lower risk of getting diagnosed with prostate cancer, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. They are also 19 percent less likely to develop the most aggressive form of prostate cancer. On the other hand, such risk for homosexual males who sleep with 20 or more partners is doubled. Homosexual males with multiple partners are five times more likely to have a less aggressive form of prostate cancer. Monogamous homosexuality has been found to be much safer, according to the study.

The Prostate Cancer & Environment Study, conducted from 2005 to 2009, asked 3208 men to provide information about their sexual experiences and lifestyles. There were 1590 men out of the 3208 that got diagnosed with prostate cancer during the study. The research is first of its kind to indicate a connection between the number of sexual partners and the possibility of having cancer. The hypothesis to show a connection between multiple sexual partners and prostate cancer diagnosis in homosexual men is that such men have a higher risk of getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases. They are also more likely to "traumatise" the prostate due to anal intercourse.

However, according to lead researcher Dr. Marie-Elise Parent, public health authorities do not have to encourage heterosexual men to have sex with as many partners as possible. She said that the significant link between prostate cancer and more number of sexual partners in heterosexual men lies in a higher frequency of ejaculation. "It is possible that having many female sexual partners results in a higher frequency of ejaculations, whose protective effect against prostate cancer has been previously observed in cohort studies," she said as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. The research, published in "Cancer Epidemiology," also shows that men who never had sex are twice likely to get diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au