Just as described above for HPV, a history of sexual intercourse with an uncircumcised man (ever) was reported in 2003 to be a risk factor for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in women. After multivariate logistic regression analysis odds ratio was 2.2 (95% CI 1.4–3.6) [112].

This study was conducted in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania amongst 1207 women aged 18–30 years whose overall HSV-2 seroprevalence rate was 25%. The high rate of HSV-2 worldwide highlights the need for amelioration of risk factors. Circumcision should therefore help reduce HSV-2 transmission and prevalence.