HIV, Cancer: Risks of oral sex you must know

Oral sex is usually pleasurable and a way for couples to spice up their sex life, but you should also know the risks involved to keep yourself safe.

It is usually assumed that one does not need to worry about protection when it comes to oral sex. This is due to the belief that it is unlikely for someone to contact a Sexually Transmitted Disease, STD since genitals are not actually in contact with each other.

Sadly, this is a wrong assumption. Oral sex without protection pose the following risks.

HIV: HIV virus can be transmitted through bodily fluids like semen and saliva. However, the risk of transmission from exposure to saliva is comparatively less than that of semen. But this doesn’t mean that oral sex with people infected with HIV is safe as there are numerous factors that might put you at risk. These include allergy, ejaculation in the mouth, immune suppression, sores and inflammation. Moreover, when the frequency of sex and the number of partners is high, the cumulative risk if much higher than indulging in a penetrative sex.

STD: Not many people are aware that oral sex can act as an as a mode of transmission of various oral, respiratory and genital pathogens. The common sexually transmitted infections apart from HIV include herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis, syphilis, genital warts (HPV) and intestinal parasites. If you suffer from any oral health problems like bleeding gums, cuts in your mouth, sores or broken skin, the chances of infection increases severely. The herpes simplex virus causes sores or lesions in mouth and genitals, which can lead to skin-to-skin contact leading to virus transmission during oral sex. In the case of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, hepatitis and syphilis, the virus or bacteria can be passed through blood, when you come in contact with body fluids during the act.

READ: Why some women hate receiving oral sex

Cancer:  A study published online in ‘JAMA Oncology’ revealed that oral sex can increase your risk of head and neck cancer by seven times. It showed a strong correlation between HPV-16 (human pappiloma virus-16), a type of HPV virus that causes cervical cancer and other sexually transmitted infections, with increased risk of cancer development. So if you are infected with HPV, it is wise not to indulge in oral sex as you might be at the receiving end.