Can you get STDs from Oral?

Some people think,"I won't catch a disease if we just indulge in oral sex." Sorry, in terms of disease, oral sex is as risky as regular sex.  Even though you're not exchanging bodily fluids through your genitals, your mouth is as just as ready to be an STD sandwich. New research shows it can even cause cancer. Here are some things to consider when you’re going down.

Warts and cancer
Just last year—in addition to gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, HIV/AIDS, HIV, trichomoniasis, syphilis, and hepatitis—HPV, aka genital warts, reared its ugly head in throat cancer statistics. Since the ‘70s, cases of the cancer in the ol’ pipes have risen 39 percent, and doctors found HPV, contracted through oral sex, to be the cause. 

Dam it!
One way doctors are recommending to prevent the spread of STDs through oral sex is to use a condom the way a dentist uses a dental dam when you are getting a root canal. Whoah! That doesn't sound too sexy, does it? The instructions are to hold the dental dam over your mouth—not over his johnson or her va-jay-jay—and proceed from there. Honestly, if you have to go through all that, it's better to avoid it altogether,  until you know each other and even have seen medical reports that  you both check out OK for STDs.

Don't let it sit
Stanford University recommends you “swallow or spit, just don’t let it sit.” You’ve got to limit your mucus membrane (mouth, penis, and vag) contact with semen. In the case of females, if he does finish in your mouth, get rid of it fast. Your best bet is to have him make a big splash elsewhere. Ask your partner to give you the head’s up when he’s about blow. Then, offer him a sexy alternative space to show off his finale. 

Know each other
So unless you feel comfortable getting out the rubber-works when it's time to go down, my advice is to only do it with people you know and trust are disease-free. Since Bill Clinton did not think oral sex was technically sex, people have followed suit and think, "I won't have sex with them because that might be risky but I'll do oral with them because it's safe." Not!!

This is one of the reasons I advocate sexual relations in the context of a loving and caring relationship--not just getting your rocks off with a stranger in the heat of the moment. It may be fun for a few minutes and you may pay for it for the rest of your life.