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Oral sex

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Oral sex consists of all sexual activities that involve the use of the mouth, which may include use of the tongue, teeth, and throat, to stimulate genitalia. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on a woman, and fellatio refers to oral sex performed on a man. Analingus refers to oral stimulation of the anus, and although it is a form of oral sex, the term "oral sex" usually refers to oral stimulation of the genitals.

People may engage in oral sex as part of foreplay before intercourse, or during or following intercourse. It may also be performed as its own sex act.

Drawing by Francesco Hayez

Utility

Oral sex is practiced in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships. In heterosexual relationships, oral sex can be a method of contraception (birth control) since pregnancy is impossible unless sperm enters the vagina. Oral sex may be chosen by heterosexuals as an alternative to intercourse for this reason. It is important to note that oral sexual activities are not effective methods of preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), although some forms of STD are believed to be less readily spread in this way. [1][2] Fellatio may be used as a substitute for intercourse during a woman's menstrual cycle or pregnancy. While it is often used for these reasons, oral sex is also commonly used between heterosexual couples as they consider it pleasurable, or as foreplay. Many women who are situationally anorgasmic can only achieve orgasm through oral sex, and so they often prefer it instead of or in addition to sexual intercourse.

A report issued in September 2005 by the National Center for Health Statistics was the basis of an article in the September 26 2005 issue of Time magazine. The report comes from the results of a computer-administered survey of over 12,000 Americans between the ages of 15 and 44, and states that over half the teenagers questioned have had oral sex. While some headlines have interpreted this as evidence that oral sex among teenagers is "on the rise", this was the first comprehensive study of its kind to examine the matter.[3]

As with mutual masturbation and other forms of outercourse many people do not consider oral sex to be "sex" in the same way as penetrative intercourse [4] and regard it as "third base". Thus for many people oral sex can be seen as one way of experiencing sexual pleasure before losing one's virginity.

Variants

Facesitting is a form of oral sex in which the receiver sits on the giver's face and pushes into it with his or her genitals. Oral sex can be performed by both partners at the same time in the so-called "sixty-nine" position.

Spitting and/or swallowing of the ejaculatory fluids may cause different sexual stimulations. Also, eye contact - during fellatio or cunnilingus may be very stimulating and more pleasurable as it acknowledges that a real person is performing oral sex, not a machine or sex toy. Autofellatio is a possible but rare variant; autocunnilingus may also be possible for women with extremely flexible spines. Irrumatio is similar to fellatio, but with the receiver actively thrusting into the giver's mouth. Irrumatio is often depicted in pornography as a type of dominant behavior.

Taboo

Oral sex had been considered to be a taboo or at least frowned upon in many cultures and parts of the world.[5] Reasons mentioned are that this sexual act does not lead to procreation, or that is a humiliating and/or unclean practice (an opinion that is, at least in some cases, connected with the symbolism attached to different parts of the body). This has been more or less the case in Christian and Sub-Saharan African cultures, in Ancient Rome, and Ancient India. Similar lines of reasoning have been espoused by some modern religious authorities in Islamic cultures.

In pre-Christian Ancient Rome, sexual acts were generally seen through the prism of submission and control. This is apparent in the two Latin words for the act: irrumare (to penetrate orally), and fellare (to be penetrated orally)[citation needed]. Under this system, it was considered to be abhorrent for a male to perform fellatio, since that would mean that he was penetrated (controlled), whereas receiving fellatio from a woman or another man of lower social status (such as a slave or debtor) was not humiliating. The Romans regarded oral sex as being far more shameful than, for example, anal sex — known practitioners were supposed to have foul breath and were often unwelcome as guests at a dinner table.[6] The practice was taboo for public health reasons, as well. In Rome, the genitals were considered to be unclean. Oral sex was thought to make the mouth dirty, and (ultimately) to present a public health risk.

STD risk

Chlamydia, human papillomavirus (HPV), gonorrhea, herpes, hepatitis (multiple strains), and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — including HIV — can be transmitted through oral sex.[7] While the risk of transmitting HIV through oral sex is unknown, it is suspected to be fairly rare. Any kind of direct contact with body fluids of a person infected with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) poses a risk of infection. The risk from most of these types of infection, however, is generally considered far lower than that associated with vaginal or anal sex.

If the receiving partner has wounds or open sores on their genitals, or if the giving partner has wounds or open sores on or in their mouth, or bleeding gums, this poses an increased risk of STD transmission. Brushing the teeth, flossing, undergoing dental work, or eating crunchy foods such as chips relatively soon before or after giving oral sex can also increase the risk of transmission, because all of these activities can cause small scratches in the lining of the mouth. These wounds, even when they are microscopic, increase the chances of contracting STDs that can be transmitted orally under these conditions. Such contact can also lead to more mundane infections from common bacteria and viruses found in, around and secreted from the genital regions.

In 2005, a research study at the College of Malmö in Sweden suggested that performing unprotected oral sex on a person infected with HPV might increase the risk of oral cancer . The study found that 36 percent of the cancer patients had HPV compared to only 1 percent of the healthy control group. [8]

Another recent study suggests a correlation between oral sex and throat cancer. It is believed that this is due to the transmission of human papillomavirus or (HPV) because this virus has been implicated in the majority of cervical cancers. The study concludes that people who had one to five oral sex partners in their lifetime had approximately a doubled risk of throat cancer compared with those who never engaged in this activity and those with more than five oral-sex partners had a 250% increased risk.[9] The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel questioned the studies findings, criticizing the modest number of samples of only 100 patients and casting doubt on the direct correlation between HPV and throat cancer, pointing out that the virus is also transmitted through vaginal sex and potentially through kissing, and that up to 60 per cent of the general population was infected with HPV at least once and thereby developed antibodies.[10]

Prevention

Due to disease risks, many medical professionals advise the use of condoms or dental dams when performing or receiving oral sex with a partner whose STD status is unknown. Flavoured condoms may be used if the receiver has a penis. A makeshift dental dam can be made out of a condom (instructions). Using a real dental dam is preferable, because real dental dams are larger, and the makeshift version may be accidentally poked with the scissors during the cutting procedure. Plastic wrap may also be used as a barrier during oral sex, but many find that the thickness of the plastic dulls sensation. Certain kinds of plastic wrap are manufactured with tiny holes to allow venting during microwaving, which may allow transmission of pathogens.

Terminology and slang

There are many words describing oral sex, including euphemisms and slang. Like all aspects of sexuality, there exist a very large number of variations on a theme, making it essentially impossible to compose a comprehensive list.

Giving head - A common slang term for giving oral sex to either a man or woman is "giving head", from the term "head job" (in contrast to "hand job" - manual stimulation). A play on the slang term "head" resulted in the slang term "brains", or "brain salad surgery", "domes", or "getting domes".[citation needed]

Cunnilingus is also sometimes referred to as "muff diving", "eating out" or "poon-job", a slang term and a cunnilingus variant of "blow-job" (see the section of Fellatio above), where "poon" is short for poontang or punani.

Additionally, in lesbian culture several common slang terms used are "giving lip," "lip service," or "tipping the velvet" (a faux-"Victorian" expression invented by novelist Sarah Waters).

Additional slang terms for oral sex include "going down on" (female and male), "licking out" (female), "blowjob" (male), "dome" (female and male), "sucking off" (male), "rolling cigars" (male recipient), "gallooty-tooting" (gay male-on-male), and "gaining knowledge" (male recipient).

Works cited

  • James N. Adams, The Latin Sexual Vocabulary (Johns Hopkins, 1990) ISBN 0-8018-2968-2
  • Jacqueline Franklin, The Ultimate Kiss: Oral Lovemaking, A Sensual Guide for Couples (Los Angeles: Media Press, 2001) ISBN 0-917181-17-4

References

  1. ^ Geffen Testing Center's HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis C Information Sheet Accessed November 4, 2006
  2. ^ University Health Center, University of Georgia Oral Sex Accessed November 4, 2006
  3. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1106324,00.html
  4. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-10-19-teens-technical-virginity_x.htm
  5. ^ http://archive.salon.com/sex/feature/2000/05/22/oral_history/print.html
  6. ^ http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/priap/prp105.htm
  7. ^ http://www.uhs.uga.edu/sexualhealth/oral_sex.html#safe
  8. ^ http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=5822
  9. ^ http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11819&feedId=online-news_rss20
  10. ^ Becker, Markus. Wie Oralsex zur Todesgefahr aufgebauscht wird. Der Spiegel. May 10, 2007. Accessed May 18, 2007. Template:De icon

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oral sex.
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