Oral sex and health issues

Hey all,

Obviously none of us would have full intercourse without using a condom when it comes to "casual fun". What about oral sex? The risk is low for HIV but other STDs can be orally transmitted...

My question is for both SPs and clients. Do you request condom or dental dam use for oral (I doubt many people do!), do you bear the risk in mind but don't do anything about it or you don't care at all? Do you feel guilty and freak out after unprotected oral sex?

I don't know if this is the best spot to post about a health topic (sorry Mod) but I live in Ottawa and it looks like many people post here.

Thanks!

Good question, i would like to know myself. As for me i avoid Daty and bbbj.

I never provide BBJ, because you never know what you might get. however I get tested for EVERYTHING every 3-6 months, so I feel comfortable allowing clients to preform DATY.

Of course I've heard "Come on baby I'm clean how about a bareback bj", and my answer is always no. the way I look at it, if I was to preform a bbj on someone I'm basically sleeping with everyone they have..and I'm not comfortable taking someones word that they are "clean", how do I know if they get tested regularly or not.

Basically my life is not worth risking for a couple hundred dollars.

Well there are separate concerns with STDs which are curative and HIV which at present can be managed but not eradicated.

So the key question is can I get an STD from oral sex?

Yes, STDs can be transmitted during oral sex, with varying degrees of certainty.

Oral sex is a much lower risk activity than intercourse, but there's still a possibility for transmission. Some STDs more likely to be transmitted during oral sex than others including:

Herpes is transmitted by any kind of skin-to-skin contact with a developing or existing sore. The virus can be transmitted from genitals to mouth if the person giving oral sex has or is developing a cold sore. It can also be transmitted from mouth to genitals if the person receiving oral sex has/or is developing a genital sore, or mouth to mouth, mouth to skin. The key thing is that there has to be shedding of the virus..eg small sore on lips.

Gonorrhea is transmitted when bacteria are present in body fluids. For a person giving oral sex infection is possible from the partner receiving (i.e. if the partner receiving the oral sex is infected).

For the person receiving oral sex, there's very small chance of contracting HIV, although it's difficult to pinpoint when HIV has been transmitted because people rarely engage in only one type of sexual activity.

In the case of fellatio (oral sex on a man by a woman), the HIV virus can theoretically gain entry from the woman's mouth to the opening on the tip of the man's penis, or through an open cut or lesion on the penis. However, having noted this, if you receive oral sex, you mainly expose yourself to the woman's saliva, which has negligible concentrations of HIV. It is the viral load that is important in causing infection, so the risk is be very low.

For the cunnilingus (oral sex on a woman) recipient, the chance of HIV transmission is also low, although the entire vagina is a mucous membrane through which, theoretically, the virus can be transmitted.

A woman receiving cunnilingus is more at risk of getting herpes 2 (most people have cold sores herpes 1, at some time in their lives and are thus at low list for infection with herpes 1) or gonorrhea from her partner than HIV.

A person performing oral sex on a woman should avoid it during her period, for menstrual blood can carry the HIV virus. There is a strong suggestion/association that HIV transmission by oral sex is associated with cuts, lesions, or irritation of the tissues in the mouth.

Other STDs that can be transmitted through oral sex, although less commonly, include:

HPV (Genital Warts)

Hepatitis B

Syphilis (rarely in NA)

Chlamydia

Chancroid

So, I hope this brief overview, based on the current general state of comprehension, helps to dispel some of the myths on this subject