Teenagers: oral sex also has its risks

Yes, it is sex and yes you can get an STD (sexually transmitted disease).

Oral sex is a common practice among young people aged between 15 and 24 years. Many young people believe that oral sex is less risky than intercourse, but it is not. It is important to know that beyond the trend in sexual behavior of adolescents, the risk of disease by oral sex is present.

Luis is a high school teacher in Los Angeles, United States. He told me an incident recently in its class: a boy and a girl were in a corner, hidden under the desk, having oral sex. Of course, that school officials learned of the fact and suspended students; not without their companions protested.

The reason why was not suspended for having oral sex, but do it in public and in hours. This episode caused a stir at school and of course brought up the subject of oral sex among teens. A recent survey in the United States by the National Reports Health Statistics talks about a quarter of adolescents aged 15 to 24 have sex before performing oral intercourse.

This figure does not surprise or alarm because it is no secret that teenagers begin in sex at an early age. What is worrying is the fact that many young people believe that oral sex has no health risks . Somehow they think it is a less compromising than sex with penetration of the penis into the vagina version. In part, it is less intimate than intercourse. However, although it poses a different kind of relationship, carries a risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like penetrative sex.

Some medical specialists in infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina in the United States have found that there are several studies indicating that between 5 and 20 percent of young people visiting STD clinics have gonorrhea in the throat.

Although often no symptoms, gonorrhea is becoming more difficult to treat . According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), oral sex can also transmit diseases such as chlamydia , herpes , syphilis and increasingly is related to throat cancer and mouth ( oral cancer ) due to the transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) .

While it is true that the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) through oral sex is less than through unprotected intercourse, some studies indicate that even can transmit HIV .

My recommendation for all young people (and for adults too!) Is ideally know your partner and then have safe sex. This means avoiding direct contact with semen, pre-seminal fluid or vaginal fluids. For this, you should use condoms (for oral, vaginal or anal sex). That way you can prevent the spread of STDs and pregnancy.

It is also important to avoid having sex under the influence of alcohol or drugs, since altering your behavior and decision-making capacity.

Check with your doctor about other contraceptive methods available to you besides condom before having sex, think about whether it is in a safe context for your health. Beware!