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Oral sex (from Latin os, oris "mouth") consists of all the sexual activities that involve the use of the mouth and tongue, to stimulate genitalia. It may be used as foreplay before intercourse, as climax of a sexual act, or even following intercourse. It is sometimes performed to the exclusion of all other forms of sexual activity. Oral sex may or may not include the ingestion of semen and vaginal fluids. Ingestion of these fluids alone, without physical mouth-to-genital contact (e.g., the extreme form of facial known as bukkake), is not considered to be oral sex. Common slang terms for oral sex include "going down on," "giving head to," "giving a blowjob to" (male), "eating out" (female), "licking out" (female) or "sucking off" (male) a sexual partner.

Oral sex is often, but not always, intended to culminate in orgasm. Not only are the sexual organs sensitive and well supplied with nerve endings, the same is true of the mouth, tongue and lips, so enjoyment of oral sex is not always limited to the receiving party.

Utility

Oral sex is used in both homosexual and heterosexual relationships. In heterosexual relationships, oral sex can be a method of contraception (birth control) since pregnancy is impossible unless sperm enters the vagina. Many heterosexuals choose oral sex as an alternative to intercourse for this reason. It is important to note that oral sexual activities are not effective methods of preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (although some forms of STD are believed to be less readily spread in this way) Some heterosexual couples use fellatio as a substitute for intercourse during a woman's menstrual cycle or pregnancy. While it is often used for these reasons, oral sex is also commonly used between heterosexual couples as they consider it pleasureable, or as foreplay. Many women who are anorgasmic can only achieve orgasm through oral sex, and so they will choose it instead of sexual intercourse.

A report issued in September 2005 by the National Center for Health Statistics was the basis of an article in the September 26 2005 issue of Time magazine. The report comes from the results of a computer-administered survey of over 12,000 Americans between the ages of 15 and 44, and states that over half the teenagers questioned have had oral sex. While some headlines have interpreted this as evidence that oral sex among teens is "on the rise", this was the first comprehensive study of its kind to examine the matter.

Among those who would be dedicated virgins, oral sex is also common, as some people do not consider oral sex to be sex. For such people, engaging in oral sex does not entail the loss of virginity.

Techniques

Fellatio

Fellatio describes the oral stimulation of the penis. A common technique of fellatio is to take the glans of the erect penis in the mouth while rhythmically caressing the rest of the penis with the hands; the testes and the shaft of the penis can also be licked with the tongue. Suction is often used to increase the pressure and friction exerted on the penis.

Depending on the preference of the participants, this stimulation may produce an orgasm and ejaculation of semen. If the semen is accepted into the mouth it may or may not be swallowed (hence the slang phrase, spit or swallow). Sexual arousal of the penis will often produce a small quantity of pre-ejaculatory fluid from the urethra at the tip of the penis prior to ejaculation. This fluid is produced by the Cowper's glands and is not semen, although it may contain traces of sperm.

While the use of the mouth to stimulate the penis, especially the glans, is a central feature of fellatio, often the partner simultaneously stimulates the shaft of the penis with his/her hand to provide the man with the feeling of the penis being enclosed. Some authorities (such as Franklin, The Ultimate Kiss, p. 62) recommend this as the preferred and most satisfying method of providing oral sex to a man. Another very efficient technique is to have the penis's head go in and out of the mouth very quickly (without going down to the shaft). This gives the receiver extreme stimulation and can lead to ejaculation in less than a minute.

Some males regard receiving oral sex as an ego boost, believing that such an act is a form of dominance over their sexual partner.

One form of fellatio is known as deep throating, after the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat. This technique involves repressing the gag reflex and taking the entire erect penis in the mouth, the shaft bending slightly to allow the head of the penis to slide partially down the throat of the fellator/fellatrix.

The common slang term blow-job is a misnomer, as blowing is not normally part of fellatio. In fact, blowing air into a partner's penis is an unhealthy practice. It is most commonly thought to be a facetious use of "blow" as the opposite of "suck". It has been suggested to be a corruption of "below-job", allegedly an old Victorian slang term that was commonly used to describe the act. However, there is a third school of thought that believes the word "blow" in "blow-job" indicates the climax of the penis (compare to blowing of a volcano). The phrase "blow-job" originated in the 1940's; at the time, it was also used by Allied pilots as a slang term for jet aircraft.

File:Cunnilingus 1.jpg

Cunnilingus

Cunnilingus is the act of using the mouth and tongue to stimulate the female genitals, especially the clitoris. The term comes from an alternative Latin word for the vulva (cunnus) and from the Latin word for tongue (lingua). 70% of women have reported never or seldom achieving orgasm during intercourse, and cunnilingus may be a way for women to achieve orgasm with a partner.

As in all human sexual behaviour, the variety of techniques in cunnilingus and individual responses to them are almost endless. As always, communication, experimentation and practice are the best way to learn how to please a particular partner.

The clitoris is the most sensitive part for almost all women, but may be too sensitive to stimulate directly at times, especially in early stages of arousal, and it is often best to begin with more gentle and less focused stimulation of the labia and the whole genital area. Ron Jeremy has advised in several films that a clockwise, counterclockwise, all over the place approach is more important than focusing solely on the clitoris. Others have found that tracing the alphabet, in the lack of a better idea, seems to work quite well.

Tongue tip, blade or underside can be used, as can the nose, chin, lips and teeth (with caution). Movements can be slow or fast, regular or erratic, firm or soft as the moment requires.

The tongue can be inserted into the vagina, either stiffened or moving. Humming to cause vibration while performing cunnilingus is often considered to be especially arousing, with certain pitches, rhythms or tunes thought to be particularly effective by different people.

Cunnilingus is easily accompanied by the insertion of finger or a sex toy into the vagina, which allows for the simultaneous stimulation of the g-spot, or into the anus, either of which many women find produce very intense sensations. Many other activities can accompany cunnilingus to enhance overall pleasure, of course, limited only by preference, physics, anatomy and multitasking ability.

A popular slang term for cunnilingus is "eating out," which is a misnomer because nothing is "consumed," except perhaps bodily fluids if protection is not used. Cunnilingus can also be referred to as a "poon-job," a slang term and a cunnilingus variant of "blow-job" (see the section of Fellatio above), where "poon" is short for punani. Additionally, in homosexual culture a common slang term used is "giving lip" or "lip service." Other terms include "eating pussy," "Dining at the Y" or "enjoying a fish supper".

Anilingus

Anal-oral contact, also referred to as anilingus and colloquially known as rimming, rimjob, tossing the salad, pepe'ing, or 87 (compare 69), is a sexual activity involving contact between the anus or perianal areas of one person and the mouth of another. It was referred to also as the black kiss. Anilingus (from "anus" and "lingua," commonly misspelled as "analingus," compare to cunnilingus from "cunnus " and "lingua") is thus simultaneously anal sex and oral sex. It should be contrasted with anal sex followed by fellatio, which is often referred to as ass to mouth, A2M, ATM or A2OGM, which is in effect anal-oral contact at one remove.

Variants

Facesitting is a form of oral sex in which the receiver sits on the giver's face and pushes into it with his or her genitals.

Oral sex can be performed by both partners at the same time in the so-called "sixty-nine" position.

The receiver of oral sex may find it pleasurable if the giver hums or sings at the same time, sometimes called a hummer. This in effect makes the giver's mouth into a vibrator, though unlike mechanical vibrators the mouth has built-in lubricant (saliva). A similar effect can now be created by placing a small, yet powerful vibrator under the jaw, causing the tongue to vibrate, which can be very pleasurable in small quantities, but can be numbing for one or both parties if overused.

Spitting and/or swallowing of the ejaculatory fluids may cause different sexual stimulations in the male.

Also, eye contact - during fellatio or cunnilingus may be very stimulating and more pleasurable as it acknowledges that a real person is performing oral sex, not a machine or sex toy.

Autofellatio is a possible but rare variant; autocunnilingus may also be possible for extremely flexible women, like contortionists and dancers.

Irrumatio is similar to fellatio, but with the receiver actively thrusting into the giver's mouth. Irrumatio is often depicted in pornography as a type of dominant behavior.

Taboo

Oral sex had been considered to be a taboo or at least frowned upon in many cultures and parts of the world. Reasons mentioned are that this sexual act does not lead to procreation, or that is a humiliating and/or unclean practice (an opinion that is, at least in some cases, connected with the symbolics attached to different parts of the body). This has been more or less the case in Christian and Sub-Saharan African cultures, in Ancient Rome, and Ancient India. Similar lines of reasoning have been espoused by only a fraction of the modern religious authorities in Islamic cultures.

In pre-Christian Ancient Rome, sexual acts were generally seen through the prism of submission and control. This is apparent in the two Latin words for the act: irrumare (to penetrate orally), and fellare (to be penetrated orally). Under this system, it was considered to be abhorrent for a male to perform fellatio or cunnilingus, since that would mean that he was penetrated (controlled), whereas receiving fellatio from a woman or another man of lower social status (such as a slave or debtor) was not humiliating. The Romans regarded oral sex as being far more shameful than, for example, anal sex — known practitioners were supposed to have foul breath and were often unwelcome as guests at a dinner table. The practice was taboo for public health reasons, as well. In Rome, the genitals were considered to be unclean. Oral sex was thought to make the mouth dirty, and (ultimately) to present a public health risk.

Interestingly, the practice of fellatio was said to have been introduced by the women of Lesbos, who used to whiten their lips as though with semen.

The Ancient Indian Kama Sutra, dating from the first centuries AD, does describe oral sex, discussing fellatio in great detail and only briefly mentioning cunnilingus. However, according to the Kama Sutra, fellatio is above all a characteristic of eunuchs, who use their mouths as a substitute for female genitalia. The author states that it is also practiced by "unchaste women," but mentions widespread traditional concerns about this being a degrading or unclean practice, with known practitioners being evaded as love partners in large parts of the country. He seems to agree with these attitudes to some extent, claiming that "a wise man" should not engage in that form of intercourse, while acknowledging that it can be appropriate in some (unspecified) cases.

In Islamic literature, the only two forms of sex that are explicitly prohibited between married couples are anal sex and sex during menstrual cycles. Still, the exact attitude towards oral sex is a subject of disagreements between modern scholars of Islam. In Islamic terminology, the practice hasn't been described as haram (forbidden), but some have claimed that it is makruh (undesirable). The authorities that consider it objectionable do so because of the contact between the supposedly impure fluids, emitted during intercourse, and the mouth. Others emphasize that there is no decisive evidence to forbid it.

A common misperception is that oral sex is still nominally illegal in some states in the U.S. However, in the U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas (2003), Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, struck down all anti-sodomy laws in the United States, declaring that such laws violated the liberty phrase of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Health issues

Semen contains water, small amounts of salt, protein, zinc and fructose sugar. It is slightly alkaline, which causes some to find the taste bitter or brackish, but neither male nor female sexual bodily fluids are in themselves harmful to a sexual partner, apart from concerns of STDs (separately discussed below).

Urban legends sometimes describe semen as nutritious and a good source of protein. However, semen only contains a small amount of protein and in any case is typically only available in small quantities during oral sex.

Partners should be careful not to bite or scratch the genitalia with the teeth harder than desired. It is also possible for the inside of the mouth to be bruised by the penis if oral sex is too rough, although this can be lessened if the person giving fellatio tilts his or her head back (as in looking up) instead of keeping the head level. People with mouth ulcers and temporomandibular joint disorder may find that giving oral sex is uncomfortable.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Contrary to popular belief, oral sex is not a completely safe alternative to vaginal or anal sex. Chlamydia, human papillomavirus (HPV), gonorrhea, herpes, hepatitis (multiple strains), and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — including HIV — can be transmitted through oral sex.. However transmission of HIV through fellatio or cunnilingus is relatively rare. Any kind of direct contact with body fluids of a person infected with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) should be avoided. In 2005, a research study at the College of Malmö in Sweden suggested that performing unprotected oral sex on a person infected with HPV might increase the risk of oral cancer . The risk from most of these types of infection, however, is generally considered far lower than that associated with vaginal or anal sex.

Furthermore, oral sex should be avoided when either partner has wounds or open sores on the genitals or mouth, or bleeding gums in the mouth, or has recently brushed, flossed, undergone dental work, or eaten crunchy foods such as potato chips, all of which can cause small scratches in the lining of the mouth. These wounds, even when they are microscopic, increase the chances of contracting STDs that can be transmitted orally under these conditions. Such contact can also lead to more mundane infections from common bacteria and viruses found in, around and secreted from the genital regions. Because of this, many medical professionals advise the use of condoms in the performance of fellatio (flavoured condoms are available for this purpose) and the use of plastic or latex sheets (dental dams or ordinary plastic wrap) for cunnilingus, although the latter has failed to achieve the same level of widespread use as condoms.

Terminology and slang

There are many words describing oral sex, including euphemisms and slang. Like all aspects of sexuality, there exist a very large number of variations on a theme, and no attempt will be made here to represent them all.

The word fellatio comes from the Latin term fellare which means "to suck".
A common slang term for giving oral sex to either a man or woman is "giving head", from the term "head job" (in contrast to "hand job" - manual stimulation).
The use of the term "blowjob" in a sexual context was first recorded in 1961; as recently as 1953 it meant "type of airplane."
The pun "cunning linguist" is a play on "cunnilingus". In its whole form, the pun is often used with a second sexual pun in the following sentence: "You may be a cunning linguist, but I'm a master debater!" The second sexual pun being "master debater," a play on "masturbator." These puns can be found in the popular films Annie Hall, Tomorrow Never Dies, Austin Powers and the musical Cabaret.

Works cited

Kaiser R. T. "Air embolism death of a pregnant woman secondary to orogenital sex". Acad Emerg Med. 1994 Nov-Dec;1(6):555-8.
Hill B. F, Jones J. S. "Venous air embolism following orogenital sex during pregnancy". Am J Emerg Med. 1993 Mar;11(2):155-7.
Jacqueline Franklin, The Ultimate Kiss: Oral Lovemaking, A Sensual Guide for Couples (Los Angeles: Media Press, 2001) ISBN 0-917181-17-4

References

External links

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