“Safe sex is the best!! I will continue to do whatever it takes to have safe sex.”
—Tiffany, 19, PA
Oral Sex = Safe Sex? No Way!
Originally Published: Feb 24, 2004
Revised: Feb 26, 2007
Oral sex and intercourse are two very different things, says Kat, 16, of New Jersey. With oral sex, you get gratification without any of the consequences of actually having sex.
Laura, 15, of North Carolina, puts it another way. "I do everything except intercourse because you can be pleasured without intercourse," she says.
Unfortunately, what these teens don't know could give them a lifelong disease.
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Photo by Mat Linek |
Too many teenagers think that because oral sex doesn't present the risk of pregnancy, it is harmless. They don't realize that many sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are just as easily transmitted through oral sex as through vaginal or anal sex, says Connie Poor, a sex educator at the HiTOPS (Healthy Interested Teens Own Program on Sexuality) clinic in Princeton, New Jersey. Herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis can all be transmitted through oral sex.
Poor says teens come to her clinic mystified because they've gotten an STD without having intercourse. "When teens tell me they're abstinent," she says, "the first thing I ask them is what they're abstaining from and what their definition of sex is."
A recent online survey conducted by Twist magazine showed that 25 percent of teens who called themselves virgins had engaged in oral sex. In fact, most teens don't see oral sex as anything close to intercourse; instead, they believe it to be much more casual and risk-free. And, teens have varying opinions about whether oral sex can be part of a sexually abstinent relationship.
Abstinence means no penetration, says Sam, age 17. "You can do anything up to that point, oral sex and all, and still be considered a virgin. There's a huge gap between oral sex and intercourse."
Seventeen-year-old Julia says, "With oral sex, you don't get the emotional attachment that comes with intercourse. Oral sex isn't real sex; it's much more casual, and it comes with a lot fewer responsibilities."
Jane, 16, disagrees, voicing a more health-conscious opinion. According to her, "Abstinence is restraining from any kind of sex — oral, vaginal, or anal. By having any type of sex you come into contact with sperm and other fluids. You can't do that and be a virgin."
Having different definitions of sex and abstinence is OK, says Poor, but teens still need to be educated about all types of sex and protect themselves. Protection is very accessible. Condoms and dental dams (a square of latex that covers a female's genitals) provide good protection for oral sex and come in a variety of flavors.
So, while people may have different opinions about oral sex, one thing is clear—everyone should be aware of the health risks and take proper steps to be safe.
For more information about sexually transmitted diseases, check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Contributor Tonica Herron, of Mount Gilead, North Carolina, contributed to this article.
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Your Comments
Oral Sex
Posted by: lilywhitewriter on Jul 9th, 2008 8:31am
To everyone on here who thinks that it is just for fun and
games and that there are no consequences and such. Guess
again. Of course it is sex. It's another form of
gratification. But of course one must ask their partner
about their experiences. And if such experience was gained,
then testing of course should be done. It is safer than
vaginal intercourse, but as mentioned there are risks. This
should not be done before thinking it through. This will
impact your thinking just as vaginal sex will.
oral=NO.
Posted by: .nooneknows13 on Jun 19th, 2008 8:06pm
i refuse to do oral.
its just this thing.
i dont like the
idea of putting genitalia in my mouth, or, if i ever end up
doing it, swallowing my potential children!
[because i'll
only commit a sexual act with someone i am in love with :]
]
it's gross.
i had it done to me ONCE, and it was like a
slimy slug wiggling in my vagina.
and i kept thinking
"OHMYGOD THIS IS SO AKWARD."
so yeah. oral. it's not for
everyone.
oral sex
Posted by: randomguy888 on May 4th, 2008 1:21am
I lokked up the definition of "penetrate":
transitive verb
1
a: to pass into or through
So, if you consider sex anything
with penetration, then oral sex is sex
oral Sex!
Posted by: Spikee#21 on Apr 15th, 2008 11:12pm
No matter how we call these,For me as long as you enjoy what
are you doing and be willing to be gratified or
disgraced,You should do it.Just be willing to be at the risk
/s there will be!
If not,the don't!
simple!
Oral Sex
Posted by: xoxobaby95 on Dec 29th, 2007 10:12pm
I believe that Oral sex and intercoasre is practically the
same thing, because if you are pleasing yourself or the
other person. Sure you can't get pregnant, but you can get
STD's.
An Opinion.
Posted by: shewantsknowledge on Jun 13th, 2007 6:28pm
Everyone has their own ideas on what they believe the
differnce between oral sex and sex is. I think that it's all
a matter of opinion; ours && your partners. You have to know
where both of you stand.
is swallowing bad?
Posted by: misspopularite on Jun 3rd, 2007 12:59am
is it bad if u swallow your partner`s "cum" ?
Oral
Posted by: CHEESEWDO on May 29th, 2007 10:34am
Oral sex is sex, if it wasn't that would mean that all
lesbians are virgins, so I think that oral sex is definitely
sex.
Oral isn't sex?
Posted by: Twack on May 6th, 2007 3:11pm
"you don't get the emotional attachment with oral sex" what
a load of bull. Sex is sex, and if your having oral
relations with someone because it's less 'emotionally
attaching' I think you need to reevaluate your morals.
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Swallowing
Posted by: Timothy Boudreaux on Aug 28th, 2008 6:44pm
No, before I let a girl have oral sex with me i found out
that swallowing cum is just like eating any other thing. It
will be digested in the stomach