3 risks you're not thinking about during oral sex

If you thought oral was the answer to safe-sex without protection, you're wrong.

Prapti Elizabeth Prapti Elizabeth
मार्च 30, 2017
All you need to do is tweak a few things in the bedroom to enjoy your sex life. Photo: Shutterstock/ IndiaPicture

Oral sex has a famous myth attached to it--that it's the one way to stay safe from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and pregnancy. So let this be the moment when many bubbles pop.

It's true, guys. There's no way you can have unprotected sex and not expose yourself to the many infections out there. With the way sex education has 'progressed' in this country, we can totally imagine the kind of ideas many carry around. So debunking one of the greatest myths in the world of sex, here are a few things you're making yourself vulnerable to, every time you have unprotected oral sex.

It Can Lead to Throat Cancer

It's not exactly the cause of the cancer, but the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can be passed from person to person during oral sex can be a reason to get it. It's been found that some cancers of the middle region of the throat (oropharynx) and the tonsils are caused by a certain type of HPV. HPV is common, but does not always result in cancer. People who practice oral sex with as many as six different partners are the ones at the highest risk.

 

It Can Cause HIV

As surprising at it may sound, it's true. HIV can be spread through oral sex, though the frequency of this happening is very low. It can be spread through both fellatio and cunnilingus. Even though oral sex does not increase the risk as much as proper intercourse, the possibility still exists. Chances of contracting the virus can be lessened if the man does not ejaculate into the partner's mouth. Ulcers within the mouth increases the risk tenfold and there's no evidence that mouthwashes reduce the risk.

Oro-Anal Sex Comes With its Own Set of Risks

When the mouth comes in contact with the anus, it's called 'oro-anal' sex. This can result in what are called 'bottom-germs'. These might not be the cause for an STI, but they can be the reason why you get dangerous organisms like Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter in your system. Shigella can lead to severe diarrhoea and fever. Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and threadworms are some other infections you can pick up through oro-anal sex.

Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, and Chlamydia are yet another set of diseases that a steamy session of oral sex can bring into your life.

 

How to Lessen the Risk

The only way to avoid the risk is to not engage in oral sex, ever. But for obvious reasons like--great sex--it's an impractical option.

However, limiting your sexual partners and not being coaxed into performing oral sex by an unfamiliar partner are ways of reducing the risk of getting infected. Putting yourself first, you have to consider how many partners your partner might have had in the past, and how much at risk that puts you. Getting yourself vaccinated against HPV is a sure shot way of reducing the risk of catching it through oral sex.

However, if at any point you do feel your health has been compromised, it's important to visit a doctor and get yourself diagnosed. There's nothing about an STI that should be taken lightly at any point in time.

Also Read: Oral sex is giving rise to "untreatable" sexually transmitted disease and here's why you should be worried too

 

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