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Have Safe, Fun Sex on Pride Weekend and Every Time
OpenWIDE by Eva Hersh, MD
Dear Dr. Eva,
Is it true that you can’t get syphilis from oral sex?
That’s What He Told Me
Dear He Told Me,
No, that is definitely not true. Stop believing everything he tells you!
You can’t get pregnant from oral sex, but, if no condom or dental dam is used, you can get many sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s). Some of the most common STD’s that are passed on through oral sex include herpes, warts, and…syphilis! See below.
Dr. Eva
Dear Dr. Eva,
Just how safe is oral sex?
Oral Lover
Dear Oral,
Oral sex carries less risk to your health than vaginal or anal sex, but oral sex is not risk free. So far in 2010, we have seen many cases of syphilis and oral warts that people got through oral sex. (Did you even know there was such a thing as sexually transmitted lip and mouth warts? Most people don’t. Take it from me, don’t find out from experience.) The person giving oral sex can pick up an infection more easily than the person receiving, but infections can be passed both ways.
It’s common for people giving oral sex to get herpes, syphilis, or warts in the mouth and gonorrhea in the throat. It’s unusual to become infected with HIV from oral sex alone, but it does happen. The degree of risk is affected by the giver’s oral health (more on this below). It is best to use condoms for fellatio (oral sex on a man), and dental dams for cunnilingus (oral sex on a woman), but not many people do.
In addition to using barriers, here are some other things you can do to protect yourself and keep oral sex as safe as possible:
If you are giving oral sex:
1. Do not have oral sex if you have lip, tongue or mouth sores, irritated, cracked or chapped lips, or bleeding gums.
2. Avoid getting ejaculate (cum and pre-cum) in your mouth. Do not have your partner cum in your mouth.
3. Do not brush or floss your teeth for at least 2 hours before, and an hour after, giving oral sex.
4. Keep your mouth healthy with regular brushing and flossing (but not right before or after sex, remember #3, above) and twice a year dental cleaning.
5. Let your family doctor or other primary heath care provider know in detail what kinds of sex you are having, so you can be screened for infection in all appropriate locations. If you don’t feel you can discuss this, consider finding a provider with whom you can communicate better. If you are embarrassed, think about how much more embarrassing it would be to get a sexual infection you could have avoided, then pass it on to others.
6. If you notice a new sore on your lip, face or mouth, or a sore throat, within 2 weeks of oral sex, get it checked by a health care provider. Tell them what kinds of sex you had, so they know what to look for.
7. Don’t feel reassured if a sore does not hurt. Painless sores are a sign of syphilis.
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