The more sexual partners a man’s had the greater his risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a recent study. In the study by the Cancer Council NSW published in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers found that men who had more than seven sexual partners in their lifetime were twice as likely to have prostate cancer than those with fewer than three partners. The study involved 10,000 men to examine their potential risk factors for prostate cancer and found that the risk of developing the condition increased the more sexual partners they had.
The study also found that men who had their first sexual experience before they were 17 and those who had more than five orgasms in the month prior to diagnosis also had higher odds of developing the disease, along with those who reached puberty earlier than their peers. Dr. Visalini Nair-Shalliker from the Cancer Council New South Wales said that sexual activity and metabolism were associated with a male sex hormone that is also strongly linked to the development of prostate cancer.
“The more partners you had, the more orgasms you had, the younger you were when you first had sex, all pointed to an increased prostate cancer risk.”
-Dr. Visalini Nair-Shalliker
Apart from having a number of sexual partners in a lifetime and earlier sex, the findings also highlighted some other factors that could double the risk of prostate cancer in men, which include having a father with a history of prostate cancer, previously diagnosed with prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and being overweight or obese. It’s believed this increased risk associated with sexual activity could be due to hormonal changes. The research team did not find any association between prostate cancer risk and circumcision, vasectomy or erectile function.
“We can’t make any recommendations around sexual activity because it’s multi-faceted. We’re not saying ‘increase or decrease your sexual activity’ because the evidence is still grey about that.”
-Dr. Visalini Nair-Shalliker
