Safer Sex and STDs
From WikiBody - The Owner's Manual For Your Body
Any sexual contact entails the possibility of transmitting or receiving sexually transmitted diseases. This article examines the hazards involved in oral sex, and the ways in which you can help protect yourself from those risks.
[edit] Risks
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 19,000 new cases of sexually transmitted diseases are reported each year, and 1 in 4 sexually active people in the U.S. have a sexually transmitted infection. Although the risk of infection through oral sex is slightly less than the risk through of infection through vaginal or anal intercourse, all three are well-known routes of STD transmission.
Some of the most common illnesses transmitted through sexual contact are:
- Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- HSV 1 (aka: oral herpes) and HSV 2 (aka: genital herpes)
- Syphilis
- HIV
[edit] Risk Reducers
Celibacy
The only way sure way to avoid a sexually transmitted disease is to not have sex. For anyone with a modicum of libido, that may also be a sure fire way to find out if a person can die from sexual frustration.
Monogamy
If a vow of chastity isn’t in your future, another good way to prevent the contraction of an STD is to be in a sexually monogamous relationship. But if one partner is infected with an STD prior to becoming monogamous, the other partner is likely to become infected if precautions are not taken.
Condoms & Dental Dams
Condoms offer protection from many diseases that are transmitted through genital, genital-anal, and genital-oral contact. For genital-oral disease, both condoms (for fellatio) and dental dams (for cunnilingus) make excellent additions to your sexual utility belt. Let’s take a moment to learn how to incorporate these marvelous devices into your play.
Condoms are fairly uncomplicated. Unroll one over your penis before engaging in sex and you lessen your risk of transmitting or contracting an STD. If a condom is being used during fellatio, flavored condoms may be preferred for their ability to mask the rubbery taste that is native to latex products.
Dental dams, which help protect against the transmission of disease through cunnilingus and analingus, are excellent but less widely available than condoms. But in the absence of a dental dam, a properly cut condom or piece of plastic wrap can be placed over the genitals before oral sex and still grant the infection protection associated with the real thing.
Oral Hygiene
Brushing and flossing may be a solid foundation for basic self-maintenance, but they can also increase your risk of contracting an infection through oral sex. That’s because both of these activities create small tears in the oral cavity lining, which can allow harmful microorganisms an all access pass to your bloodstream. So avoid oral sex for a few hours after brushing your teeth in order to allow your mouth to heal.
Visual Inspection
As far as disease-prevention methods go, visual inspection of your partner’s mouth and genitals is a last line of defense.
Examine your partner’s oral and pelvic regions for indications of STDs like lesions, blisters, warts, and sores. If any of these warning signs are detected you should refrain from engaging in all forms sexual of sexual activity with that individual until he or she is assessed by a medical professional.
Please remember that many carriers of sexually transmitted diseases have no external symptoms, and other STDs can be transmitted even when the tell-tale signs are dormant.
