Sex: Whether you joke about it, think about it all day, or simply treat it as a fact of life, it probably affects you in ways you may not even know. This is the first in a three-part series examining the more serious side of sex. This week, the Daily takes a look at oral sex. In upcoming issues, the Daily will discuss RU-486, known as the abortion pill, and abstinence.
"I prefer receiving."
Opinions on oral sex range from the enthusiastic (see the above quotation from an anonymous sophomore) to the grossed-out. Many position themselves on one extreme or the other, but when it comes down to it, how much do you really know about the intimacies, intricacies, ramifications, and legalities of the oral deed?
Fellatio, the medical term for oral sex performed on a man, comes from the Latin word fellare, meaning "to suck;" cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on a woman, from the Latin word cunnus, meaning "vulva," and lingere, meaning "licking."
Those who object to participating in oral sex often cite religion and hygiene as reasons for their abstinence. Some followers of major Western religions find themselves confused about the moral ramifications of oral sex and are left with feelings of guilt and remorse after the act - or even after simply fantasizing about the practice.
For those worried about hygiene, there is also cause for concern. Beyond the concrete objections some have, such as odor and cleanliness, performing oral sex runs the risk of transmitting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Contact with another person's genitalia can spread diseases through the exchange of bodily fluids.
The average ejaculation contains four cubic centimeters of semen, which is comprised of proteins, sugars and - according to the Sinclair Intimacy Institute - has less than 36 calories. It can also contain the Human Imunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Michelle Bowdler, director of Tufts Health Services, expressed concern that people do not take oral sex seriously enough. "I think that the issue is that people do make the assumption, for some reason, that oral sex is 'safer' than vaginal intercourse or anal sex," she said. "But what people need to realize is that any exchange of bodily fluids can be a risk for HIV, for example."
Margaret Higham, the medical director at Health Services, agreed. "I think that there is this misconception that it is 'safer'," she said. Higham, however, has seen a recent trend towards awareness. "I have had guys come in and say that they have used dental dams. There seems to be an increase in knowledge about staying free of infection and safe," she said.
The trend toward viewing oral sex as the safer practice stems from the fact that oral sex does not carry a risk of pregnancy, Higham said. She also pointed to the "misconception" that oral sex bears a low-risk of transmitting STDs.
However, she pointed out, "HIV has been transmitted solely through oral sex before - it's less likely than through vaginal penetration or anal penetration, but it's possible."
Higham and Bowdler's fears that students are not as careful as they should be may be valid. One sophomore interviewed for this article said that most students don't view oral sex with the same severity as they might vaginal or anal sex.
"Probably people are more likely to just have oral sex rather than regular sex because it carries less social complications and less health risks," she said, adding hesitantly, "I think."
Unless you or your partner is infected with an STD, neither vaginal fluid nor semen is harmful. But, being tested for STDs doesn't "clear" you in any way. As with any sexual activity, participating in fellatio or cunnilingus puts you at risk for infection, regardless of testing.
"It's pretty hard to be absolutely certain that someone is safe," Higham said. According to Higham, unless you're in a relationship in which both partners have been completely monogamous for years and both have been recently tested for STDs, you can't be sure. Even testing might not be enough.
"There are some things you can't test for - and some things won't show up in blood tests right away," Higham said. So even those who pass a test with flying colors may find that, a few months down the road, that they were infected and could have spread it to other partners.
To avoid STDs, men can wear condoms during fellatio and women can use dental dams during cunnilingus. Tufts attempts to protect its students, but the University can only go so far.
"At Health Services, we always try to have non-lubricated condoms as well as lubricated, so people can at least consider the use of condoms during oral sex, assuming it's with a man," Bowdler said. "We also have dental dams, which some students have been asking for recently."
A dental dam is a thin sheet of latex, about the size of a five-by-eight piece of paper, that is placed over a female's genitals to prevent the transfer of bodily fluids.
Although Higham has seen students express interest in protection, one Tufts sophomore said she has never used protection during oral sex - nor would she even consider it. And it seems she is not alone. "It's not what people do," the sophomore said. "Besides, just the fact that it would taste kind of funny - not that it doesn't already - it's also just not the social norm. And it probably wouldn't feel as good."
Higham expressed concern over the recent epidemic of Human Papilloma Virus, commonly known as HPV. According to Planned Parenthood, over 100 types of the wart-causing virus exist, and about 30 types effect the genitals. An estimated 20 million people in the US alone have genital HPV - and most don't know it.
Although most types of HPV are not harmful, some forms can present serious health risks. Problems surrounding genital HPV range from warts in the genital area to cervical cancer.
"Both men and women can have it in the genital area," Higham said. "And it's really difficult to know, sometimes, because they kind of blend in with the surrounding skin."
So how does that affect oral sex? Higham said that the ramifications of genital HPV in the human mouth are unknown, but that simply touching the affected area could spread the disease.
Perhaps one of the reasons for the rapid spread of STDs is the lack of communication between partners. "I'd be embarrassed to ask someone" to use a condom during oral sex, the sophomore said. "They'd think that I thought they were dirty." She added that she doesn't feel the same way about using a condom during intercourse - "It's not the same," she said.
In addition to medical, social, and religious concerns surrounding oral sex, the government sometimes speaks its mind on the issue. At one point, sodomy laws prohibiting anal and oral sex were on the books in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Since then, the issue has evoked cases of constitutionality, and in 1986 the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution allows states to criminalize sodomy. Thirty-two states have since repealed the laws in court - but Massachusetts remains one state where the laws are still intact.
Chapter 272 of Massachusetts General Law is entitled "Crimes against chastity, morality, decency, and good order." The punishment for "Unnatural and Lascivious Acts" ranges from $100 to $1,000 fines or up to five years in jail. "Crimes against nature" are more serious in Massachusetts' eyes, and can land the violator in jail for up to 20 years. The law covers all the bases - no oral or anal sex with any member of the human or bestial variety.
"I think that's totally ridiculous," said one freshman. "How do they enforce that, surprise bedroom inspections?"
Many feel that the laws are a direct attack on homosexuals because they restrict - or at least attempt to restrict - their freedom of sexual expression. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, some states have used sodomy laws to justify taking a child from a lesbian or gay parent. In five states, sodomy laws are targeted specifically and solely at same-sex couples. Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas all prohibit same-sex sodomy but not opposite sex . Oklahoma has the steepest penalty of the five states, with a ten-year imprisonment for a "crime against nature."
"I'm from Massachusetts, and growing up we always learned about how pious the Puritans were - I kind of feel like this is just left over from that time. That society was completely closed-minded," the freshman said. "You would've thought that things would have changed by now, but apparently, they haven't."
