Teens mistakenly believe oral sex is safe sex.
It is true that they will not get pregnant, but they are still exposing themselves to sexually transmitted infections, said Dr. Mariam Chacko, professor of pediatrics – adolescent and sports medicine at BCM. Oral sex can expose both men and women to gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, human papillomavirus, or HPV, and HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus associated with AIDS), said Chacko.
“Adolescents and teenagers need to be aware that there is no such thing as zero risk,” said Chacko, who is also medical director of the Baylor Teen Health Clinic. “While many of these infections may be less common in the mouth and throat than in the genitalia, oral sex cannot be considered safe.” It is true that they will not get pregnant, but they are still exposing themselves to sexually transmitted infections, said Dr. Mariam Chacko, professor of pediatrics – adolescent and sports medicine at BCM. Such infections are transmitted orally when the membrane of the lips, mouth and throat comes in contact with the genitalia, she said. Except for HIV, these infections can be transmitted even when there is no cut or sore on the mouth, Chacko said.
