Oral sex

Practice

Oral sex may be practiced by people of any sexual orientation and involves stimulating another person's genitals with the mouth. In facesitting, the receiver sits on the giver's face, pressing their genitals into it. Both partners can perform oral sex simultaneously in the sixty-nine position.

Irrumatio is a forced form of fellatio where one person actively forces their penis into the partner's mouth. Autofellatio and autocunnilingus are rare variants involving self-stimulation. Group sex acts restricted to one woman giving oral sex to several men are called a gangsuck, blowbang, or lineup, terms derived from gang bang.

Bukkake and gokkun may also involve oral sex. Oral sex is sometimes practiced to preserve virginity, particularly among heterosexual couples, a concept known as technical virginity that may include anal sex, manual sex, and other non-penetrative acts but excludes penile-vaginal sex. This idea is popular among teenagers. Gay men who view oral sex as maintaining virginity consider penile-anal penetration as resulting in virginity loss, while other gay males may define oral sex as their main sexual activity.

Lesbian pairings commonly view oral sex or fingering as resulting in virginity loss, though definitions vary. Oral sex alone does not cause pregnancy, as sperm must enter the uterus and fallopian tubes to fertilize an egg; ingested sperm is killed by stomach acids and broken down in the small intestine. However, pregnancy risk exists if semen contacts the vaginal area indirectly, such as via fingers or hands.

Health risks and other studies

Sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia and human papillomavirus (HPV) can be transmitted through oral sex. Any exchange of bodily fluids with a person infected with HIV poses a risk of infection, though the risk is generally considered significantly lower for oral sex than for vaginal or anal sex, with HIV transmission being the lowest risk. The risk of STI transmission increases if the receiving partner has genital wounds or if the giving partner has mouth wounds, open sores, or bleeding gums.

Brushing teeth, flossing, or undergoing dental work shortly before or after performing oral sex can cause small scratches in the mouth lining, raising transmission risk. Such contact can also lead to infections from common bacteria and viruses found in genital regions. Medical sources advise using condoms or other barrier methods when performing oral sex with a partner whose STI status is unknown. Links have been reported between oral sex and oral cancer in people infected with HPV.

A research study at Malmö University's Faculty of Odontology suggested that performing unprotected oral sex on an HPV-infected person might increase the risk of oral cancer; the study found that 36 percent of cancer patients had HPV compared to 1 percent of a healthy control group. Another study in The New England Journal of Medicine indicated a correlation between oral sex and throat cancer, attributed to HPV transmission. That study concluded that people with one to five oral sex partners had approximately a doubled risk of throat cancer compared to those who never engaged, and those with more than five partners had a 250 percent increased risk.

Cultural views

Cultural views on oral sex range from aversion to high regard. It, especially fellatio, has been deemed taboo or discouraged in many cultures and parts of the world. Some jurisdictions consider oral sex to be penetrative sex for sexual offenses, but most countries do not ban the practice itself, unlike anal sex or extramarital sex. In ancient Rome, fellatio was considered profoundly taboo.

Sexual acts were viewed through submission and control, as seen in the Latin words irrumare (to penetrate orally) and fellare (to be penetrated orally). It was considered abhorrent for a male to perform fellatio, as it meant being penetrated, while receiving fellatio from a woman or a man of lower social status was not humiliating. Romans thought oral sex more shameful than anal sex; known practitioners were believed to have foul breath and were often unwelcome at dinner tables. Irrumatio was strictly considered oral rape, and a man who irrumated another was seen as extremely virile; it was so degrading it was used as punishment.

In contrast, cunnilingus is revered in Chinese Taoism as a spiritually fulfilling practice believed to enhance longevity. In modern America, oral sex is common among adolescents and adults. Reasons for disliking oral sex include views that it is unnatural because it does not lead to reproduction, less intimate because it is not face-to-face, or humiliating or unclean, sometimes linked to symbolism of body parts. Conversely, some believe oral sex is one of the most intimate behaviors a couple can engage in, requiring total trust and vulnerability.

Terminology and slang

There are many terms for oral sex, ranging from euphemisms to slang. A common American phrase is "giving head," which comes from "head job" and can refer to giving oral sex to either a man or a woman.

Variations include "brain," "dome," or "getting dome." The British slang "plate," a rhyming term for fellate, originated in the gay slang Polari and became popular in the 1960s. Cunnilingus is sometimes called "muff diving," "eating out," or "poon-job," a play on "blow job" where "poon" comes from "poontang" or "punani." In lesbian culture, common terms include "carpet munching," "giving lip," "lip service," and "tipping the velvet," a pseudo-Victorian phrase invented by novelist Sarah Waters. Other slang includes "going down on," "licking out," "blow job," "sucking off," "playing the skin flute," "rolling cigars," "lolly-gagging," "gaining knowledge," and "bust down." Forced fellatio is often called "Egyptian rape" or simply "Egyptian," a term dating back to the Crusades when Mamluks were alleged to force Christian captives to perform it.

Did You Know?

• Fellatio has been observed in fruit bats (Cynopterus sphinx) during mating; pairs spend more time copulating if the female licks the male.
• Fish from the genus Corydoras reproduce orally: the male releases sperm into the female's mouth, which crosses her digestive system to fertilize her eggs.