Stds contracted from oral sex

Often considered much safer than intercourse, the idea that oral sex is risk-free is perilous because, while pregnancy might not be an outcome sexually transmitted infections STIs are. That being said, there are some STIs which are more likely to be transmitted orally than others. So, what can you catch? According to the NHS , infections that are commonly spread through oral sex include gonorrhoea, genital herpes and syphilis. As for what you can do to stay safe, making sure that you or your partner wears a condom or dam — a thin sheet of latex designed to cover female genitals — is vital.

Further references from each article identified by Medline were also included, as were relevant references from "Current contents". The evidence suggests that HIV transmission can take place through oro-genital sex from penis to mouth and vagina to mouth. Case reports describe apparent transmission from mouth to penis although this appears less likely. The risk of oro-genital transmission of HIV is substantially less than from vaginal and anal intercourse. Receptive oro-genital sex carries a small risk of human papillomavirus infection and possibly hepatitis C, while insertive oro-genital contact is an important risk factor for acquisition of HSV 1.

STIs are bacteria or viruses that rely on a certain kind of skin, known as a mucous membrane. The head of the penis has skin like this, and so do the labia, vagina, and rectum. But guess what? The inside of the mouth and the throat have the same kind of skin. So having oral sex can make this skin vulnerable to infection.

Sexually transmitted diseases STDs , or sexually transmitted infections STIs , are generally acquired by sexual contact. The organisms that cause sexually transmitted diseases may pass from person to person in blood, semen, or vaginal and other bodily fluids. Sometimes these infections can be transmitted nonsexually, such as from mother to infant during pregnancy or childbirth, or through blood transfusions or shared needles.