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Ask Dr. Hennessy Is oral sex the same as "safe sex?" This one has an easy answer. The answer is no, oral sex is not safe sex. Let me give you a little more background on this subject. When I say "oral sex," what I mean is that someone's mouth (sucking or licking) is touching somebody else's private parts or genitalia. By "private parts," I mean penis, vagina, or anus. If you thought this was "safe" you are not alone. Many adults and teens do not consider oral sex to be the same as having sex. In fact, many teens who want to remain a virgin will perform or receive oral sex. Teens, who worry about HIV or other diseases, also think that oral sex is a way to avoid getting HIV. In fact, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, more than a quarter of girls and boys having oral sex, say they are doing it because they don't want to get a disease. It is true that you can not get pregnant from oral sex. You can, however, get a sexually transmitted disease from oral sex. What diseases am I referring to? First of all, HIV can be transmitted during oral sex. The person using their mouth may have mouth sores or bleeding gums. The virus can travel from the person's mouth to their partner or from their partner to that person's mouth. The one receiving oral sex can have something as simple as a scratch on the penis or the vulva (the area outside of the vagina on a woman) and blood can be exposed to the other person. When a female has her period, that period is also a source of blood. What diseases have been documented to have been transmitted during oral sex? These include Herpes, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, HPV which is genital warts, intestinal parasites, and Hepatitis A. So, can you make oral sex "safer?" Well, first of all I want you to decide for yourself if you really want to have sex, even oral sex. If you don't want to have oral sex, then no one can force you to do it. If you are forced against your will to have oral sex then that is a crime. Report it to someone you trust such as a parent, a minister, or a doctor. If you do consent to having oral sex, then I recommend that you use condoms for oral contact with a penis. Some even come in flavors. You can also use plastic food wrap or cut open a condom and use it when you have oral contact with a vagina or an anus. For other Ask Dr. Hennessy articles, click here Email: Margaret.Hennessy@wfhc.org |