Kate White, MD, MPH

But if you want to do everything you can to minimize your risk for STIs (and you do, right?), you have to think about safeguarding yourself during <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/a18696525/oral-sex-moves/" id="d650568e-1508-3840-afef-55b3671f6349"> oral sex </a> , too. Let's get into the nuts and bolts about oral-sex safety, plus what form of protection you should be using to adequately protect yourself.

Oral sex may be safer than intercourse when it comes to contracting an STI, but its not totally safe.

Essentially any STIs that you can get via intercourse, you can also get from oral sex, meaning oral-to-genital or oral-to-anal contact. So that includes:

<ul><li> Chlamydia </li><li> Gonorrhea </li><li> Syphilis </li><li> Trichomoniasis </li><li> Herpes </li><li> Human papillomavirus (HPV) </li><li> Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) </li></ul>

The chances of STI transmission are lower from a single act of oral sex, however, compared to a round of intercourse. There hasnt been a ton of research to prove why exactly this isand there may be gender bias in the research (theres more research looking at male-receiving oral than on female-receiving oral sex). But one reason for why oral is slightly safer could be that, generally, theres less surface area being touched than in intercourse, so infections may spread less easily.

The thing is, though, it's tricky to even pinpoint where exactly an STI originated. That's because many people are switching back and forth between oral and penetrative intercourse during their sexual encounters. So your best bet is covering (literally!) all your bases with barrier methods of protection, no matter the sex act.

Interestingly, experts *think* that many STIs can get passed more easily by <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/a28591194/how-to-give-a-good-blow-job/" id="9c4e6d6a-cd98-3800-a0a4-215334321c9e"> when performing oral sex on a partner with a penis </a> compared to one with a vagina. We need more research to support this, though. One possible theory as to why STIs may be spread more commonly from oral sex when a penis is involved is that the penis has more surface area than the vulva and clitoris. But thats just a guess. (And FYI, STIs can get passed in either direction, but it's more likely for the person who has the infection to pass it through their genitals than to get it from someone giving you oral who has an oral infection.)

Oral STIs can also spread to other parts of the body.

STIs that show up orallyfor example, a herpes or <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/g19138317/chlamydia/" id="286a9505-8bf1-3b78-ad86-c2cd96b4c21e"> chlamydia </a> infection in the mouth or throat that came from a partners genitalscan be tricky to diagnose, because they may not show obvious symptoms. And were not routinely screened for STIs in the mouth or throat. With a genital STI, often youll have noticeable symptoms or even visual ones, like a rash or lesions.

On the flip side, with oral chlamydia, for instance, you might not even know you have ityou might not even have as much as a sore throatand can unknowingly pass it along to others. HPV can be spread as an oral infection as well, and frequently without symptoms.

Plus, some STIs, like <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a18734820/gonorrhea-symptoms-in-women/" id="0217dc30-49ca-3e42-ad01-0aff35ecc36d"> gonorrhea </a> and <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/g19513578/syphilis-symptoms-in-women/" id="1a03c0d8-8fab-3a9c-ad4b-9702d36e16e6"> syphilis </a> , may not just stay local and can go on to affect other areas of the body. So remember: What starts in the throat may not stay in the throat.

You have a few protection options for oral sex.

For oral on a partner with a penis, you should consider using a condom that covers the penis for all acts of sex. Condoms dont cover allll of the genital tissue, but they do reduce your risk of contracting an STI from a partner's genitals. Latex, even flavored, may not taste as good as your partnerbut remember, this is all about being safe.

Do You *Really* Need Protection For Oral Sex?

For those performing oral on partners with vaginas, consider using dental dams . A dental dam is a square of latex that you put over the labia and clitoris for oral sex. They may not be as easily accessible in your local mini mart as condoms, but theyre easy to find on Amazon (and you can choose your flavor preference!).

If you know you will engage in both oral sex and intercourse, you can use an internal condom , which will provide some protection for both kinds of sex. An internal condom looks like a tube; a capsule or a ring with one end is placed in the vagina, and a ring at the other end surrounds the vaginal opening and covers the labia and clitoris. One important note: Do not use an internal and external condom for intercourse at the same timedoing so can cause too much friction and the condoms can tear.

Oh, and plastic wrap has *not* been studied as protection (despite what you might find on web forums or joke about with friends or partners). So while its tempting to grab the Saran wrap to use as a makeshift dental dam, it may give you a false sense of security. Get yourself something that you know will protect you.

The bottom line: You should use protection during oral sex if you aren't aware of your partner(s) STI status. And encourage each other to get tested regularly.

So the short answer is, the worst thing that can happen is you can get an STI if you don't know your partner's STI status. (You are likely fine with unprotected oral if you are with a monogamous partner and have both been tested. But it's important to get tested regularly.)

Ask A Sex Expert: What's The Worst That Can Happen If I Don't Use Protection During Oral Sex?

First, there are a few reasons that a Pap can come back funky.

A Pap smear tests for abnormal cells in the cervix. So, broadly speaking, an abnormal Pap smear means that the cells swabbed from the cervix look anything other than normal under a microscope. The most common reason for this result is an HPV infection. But it might also come back abnormal due to another vaginal infection, like <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/g19681838/yeast-infection-symptoms-in-women/" id="5fc5ad5a-e7c4-3aba-abc0-3b8721773355"> yeast </a> or bacterial vaginosis, both of which are easily treated.

Can I Have Sex After An Abnormal Pap Smear?

Other reasons for an abnormal Pap smear include inflammation, where the tissue of the cervix is inflamed for no detectable reason, and irritation, where the cervix is irritated, possibly from friction during sex (which is pretty common). Other changes that can happen within the cervix cells (for reasons we don't totally understand) can also cause a "false alarm."

Depending on your age, your health provider may just have you come back down the line to do another Pap test (watchful waiting). Even during this waiting period, there's really no reason to stop being sexually active simply due to an abnormal Pap.

Even if you do have HPV, you don\'t need to stop having sex.

At this point you might be thinking, but isn't it just plain thoughtless to have sex with an STI diagnosis?! The thing is, HPV is ridiculously commonso it's not the most useful or realistic advice to say that you shouldn't continue having sex. At least 80 percent of sexually active adults get HPV in their lifetime, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine/six-reasons.html" id="b19ac573-1374-35ac-a4dc-db393d76ff3d"> CDC </a> . Getting it is the norm and not the exception.

You are most likely to be infected with HPV in your late teens or 20s, when statistically, people are having the most sex with the most partners. If youre under 30, its likely the HPV infection will go away on its own, as most of these infections do in this age group.

So as for sex? Carry on as usual, if you want. Meaning: If you're in a monogamous partnership, you can have sex as you normally would, even if that means without a condom. To be honest, your partner likely already has the strain that you have, and the infections will probably clear up eventually. If you have multiple partners, use protection during sex to minimize the spread of the virus.

Did you know? Theres no routine testing or treatment for men for HPV

Using <a href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/a19984150/condoms-for-her-pleasure/" id="3f726cce-ef4e-3778-a148-9de808503923"> condoms </a> , either external or internal, is the only way to reduce the spread of HPV to a partner. But note that the virus is spread from genital skin to skinso with an external condom that covers a penis but not all the skin around the genitals, youre never 100 percent protected from HPV. Internal condoms that cover the labia may provide extra protection, because they cover more skin (though, still, not all).

There are no hard and fast guidelines about whether you have to disclose your HPV status to a sexual partner.

Since HPV is so incredibly common, we dont want to stigmatize it further by forcing people to share the fact that they're HPV-positive. It's also worth pointing out that if you share with a partner that you have HPV, they need to understand that there's a decent chance they have the same strain as you.

The HPV vaccine can protect you from different strains of HPV, no matter your age.

But sometimes, more conversation about STIs is what helps erase stigma. Plus, it can just be a good exercise in open, honest dialogue about your sexual health with partners if you do choose to share it. But the choice is really yours to make. If you're over 30 (and they are, too), there's arguably more reason to talk to your partners about your HPV status so they can discuss precancerous screenings with their doctor.

It's important to remember that a positive test doesnt mean you did anything wrongyou just caught an infection. Think about it: You can wash your hands all the time, and avoid your coughing co-workers, and you can still get sick anyway.

The bottom line: An abnormal Pap smear or HPV diagnosis should not prevent you from having sex.

An abnormal Pap, or an HPV diagnosis, does not mean you have to cut yourself off from sex completely. That wouldnt be realistic, would it? Whats important is that you continue to use protection during sex, and that you understand these facts and myths about abnormal Pap smears and HPV in general.

Ask A Sex Expert: Can I Still Have Sex After An Abnormal Pap Smear?

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Kate White, MD, MPH

Articles written by the author

Ask A Sex Expert: What's The Worst That Can Happen If I Don't Use Protection During Oral Sex?

Ask A Sex Expert: Can I Still Have Sex After An Abnormal Pap Smear?