Consider this before you engage in oral sex OCTOBER 23, 2015 : BUKOLA ADEBAYO

Popular
American
actor,
Micheal
Douglas,
once
stirred
up
a
controversy
about
oral
sex
when
he
said
he
was diagnosed with cancer of the throat because he engaged in
oral sex quite frequently. Isn’t this odd? But experts agree with
his physician’s diagnosis. According to them, it is not strange to
think that oral sex may have been a contributing factor.
They say that Douglas may have been infected with the Human
Papilloma Virus, a cancerous and sexually transmitted virus
while performing oral sex on his partner.
Yes, you can get throat cancer from oral sex, says American
Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer, Otis Brawley.
Brawley explains that it is not oral sex, per se, that causes
cancer, but the HPV virus, which can be passed from person to
person during sex, especially during oral sex, that causes the
disease.
He says, “Those who have ever performed oral sex have more
than doubled their risk of getting an HPV infection.”
Researchers have found that some cancers of the oropharynx
(the middle of the throat) and tonsils are caused by a certain
type of HPV.
The study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in
2007 showed a greater risk for oropharyngeal cancer in people
that had oral sex with at least six different partners.
They found out that the DNA signature of HPV type 16 was often
found more often in the cancers of people who had multiple oral
sex partners.
Brawley says,“ Both men and women can have an HPV infection
in the throat. It doesn’t discriminate by gender. The population
that I thought would be least likely to get it was the first
population to have this problem, that is heterosexual men
between ages 40 and 50,” he says.
When it comes to being responsible, by that we mean using
condoms during sex, many will not take chances. But do they
apply the same precaution during oral sex?
Reproductive health experts say that you can contact sexually-
transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea and
Chlamydia from oral sex.
Before now, oral sex was usually considered a lower-risk sexual
activity—but a recent study published in the Journal of Sexual
Medicine found that it is actually becoming a popular method for
spreading sexually transmitted infections.
The researchers state that since oral sex involves a partner
stimulating the sexual organs of another person using the
mouth, lips, tongue, teeth or throat, viral and bacterial infections
such as herpes, HIV/AIDs can be contracted through such
means .
Consultant gynaecologist , Dr. Seun Abejide, says the risk of
contracting these diseases is higher in persons with multiple
partners, same sex relationships and the level of intimacy of the
oral sex.
He states, “Oral sex is when you stimulate your partner’s
genitals with your mouth, lips, tongue and finger. This involves
sucking the penis (fellatio), vagina or clitoris (cunnilingus) or
anus (anilingus). These are openings in the body and means of
infections.
“Many people don’t know that STDs can be spread orally. If they
do, they don’t see the health risks as being very serious. Oral
sex is not safe because most people don’t use protection for it
when they should actually be cautious about it, especially if they
are performing it on multiple partners.”
Abejide says performing oral sex on a male partner without a
condom is more risky than other forms of oral sex. He stresses
the importance of condom use for a man having oral sex with
multiple male partners.
“If a male is giving oral sex to a woman, I consider that to be a
low-risk exposure. But it is really dangerous for a woman to
give oral sex to a man with multiple partners. You can’t tell if his
partners are infected. It is just like sex with multiple partners
but no penetration.” she adds.
One can get infected with HIV/AIDS through oral sex. A research
conducted by the San Fransisco Aids Organisation found out
that many women contracted HIV from oral sex by swallowing
semen.
The study states, “HIV still can enter through open cuts and
sores, or possibly by infecting the lining of the mouth. There are
some documented cases of people getting HIV through their
mouth.”
“Once semen gets past the mouth, stomach acid and enzymes
in the esophagus kill the virus. So swallowing or spitting out
semen reduces your risk for HIV, compared with letting it sit in
your mouth.”
However, you don’t have to leave yourself and your spouse
unprotected. To reduce your risk for these infections, experts
recommend the use of barrier protection like dental clams or
condoms and also offer some oral advice
.Brawley says, “Before you two taste each other’s forbidden
fruit, make sure you’re clean. Don’t perform oral for about 45
minutes after you brush your teeth, floss, or engage in any other
aggravating oral behaviour and not at all when you have open
sores.”