Jerusalem, Nov. 2 (PTI): Alarmed by the growing trend of genital piercing among youngsters, especially those visiting India, Israeli gynaecologists have warned against its potential dangers.

They have warned of fatal complications arising from the invasive procedure being carried out by unlicensed people and use of unsterilised equipment.

They have also called upon the health ministry to initiate laws to protect the public from the risky procedure, the daily Jerusalem Post reported.

A phenomenon not so common until the 1990s, when Israeli youngsters started to visit India in large numbers, the practice of piercing intimate parts of the body, including nipples and genitals, picked up, apparently inspired by the Kamasutra, the paper reported.

Genital piercing, claimed by some to enhance sexual pleasure but never proven scientifically, is mentioned in the Indian treatise on enhancing sexual pleasure, the daily pointed out.

In the latest issue of Harefuah, the Hebrew-language journal of the Israel medical association, gynaecologists at the Rabin Medical Center have said those who go in for genital piercing could contract Hepatitis B or C or HIV through unsterilised equipment.

They also warned that sexually transmitted diseases could be passed on quic- ker during intercourse because of open wounds as well as damage to sexual organs.

They doctors said Israelis have not been deterred from the practice because the amount of metal “does not set off metal detector alarms.? The most relevant point for living in Israel”.

Unlicensed practitioners also do not take the necessary precaution of asking clients if they are allergic to local anaesthesia or the metals, or whether they have clotting problems, the report noted.