How Safe is Oral Sex?

Tuesday October 2, 2007

Is there a connection between HIV and oral sex? There is a commonly held belief among many lay people that oral sex carries little or no risk. In fact, some consider oral sex a safer sex alternative. But the truth is, like any other sexual activity, oral sex carries a risk of transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The risk is even greater in serodiscordant couples (one partner is HIV positive while the other is negative), people who are not monogamous, or in people who inject drugs and/or share needles and syringes. Truth be told, abstaining from oral, anal, and vaginal sex all together is the only way to completely avoid the sexual transmission of HIV. But how realistic is that?

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