Got your attention? Oral sex can be defined as contact of one person's mouth (active) with the genitals of another person (receptive) male to female, female to male, female to female or male to male. True, you can't get pregnant, however, oral sex is not an abstinent behavior and is not risk-free. Sexual Health Update's Fall '03 publication is devoted to oral sex and sexually transmitted infections (or STIs.) The following studies are cited in this publication and citations are available upon request.
The practice of oral sex is fairly common among American adults. Approximately one quarter (27%) of men and one fifth of women (19%) said that they participated in oral sex the last time they had sex. Similarly, oral sex is not uncommon among adolescents and is especially common among college age. In a study of 545 10-12th graders 84 % of nonvirgins and 20 % of virgins had participated in oral sex. High school students in Los Angeles County who consumed alcohol or used recreational drugs were three times more likely than nonusers to engage in oral sex. A survey of 300 sexually active college students who volunteered to fill out a questionnaire reported 86% had practiced oral sex.
HPV (Human Papilloma Virus, the virus associated with genital warts,) and chlamydia are the most frequently diagnosed STIs at Colby. They can both be transmitted orally as can herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV.
HPV exists in over 100 types, of which some 35 cause genital infections. Some types are more virulent than others and only recently have certain types been associated with cancers of the cervix and anus. Current evidence shows that 30-60% of sexually active adults are infected with one or more of the wart viruses. As many as 70% of those infections go unrecognized. However, even without visible symptoms, i.e. warts, the virus can be transmitted.
Chlamydia is a common bacterial infection. It can cause inflammation from the urethra to the epididymis in males and from the cervix to the uterine lining and Fallopian tubes in females. Pain and or discharge in any of these areas may send patients for treatment but the infection can remain asymptomatic (result in no symptoms) in 20-30% of males and 70% of females. It is still transmissible, orally or genitally, when silent.
Don't wait until you get symptoms to be checked. A yearly SHARE examination (sexual health and reproductive exam) is suggested for anyone, male or female, who has been sexually active. The examination at the Health Center is free to Colby students. The exam would include some testing for sexually transmitted infections. Your practitioner would recommend which tests would be appropriate after evaluating your risks.
Bottom Line:
"Oral sex" is sexual activity and can serve as the transmission route for a number of sexually transmitted diseases. It should not be considered a "safe" sex alternative to penile-vaginal or penile-anal intercourse. Latex barriers (condoms or dental dams) are recommended any time body fluids can be exchanged. Condoms and dams are available, without charge, at the Health Center.
