Disease wey you fit catch from oral sex and how to protect yourself

In general, wen we tok about diseases wey dem fit transmit during sexual intercourse, we dey think of penetration.

But to do oral sex without condom dey also increase the risk of STIs (sexually transmitted infections). Di contact of di mucous membranes of di mouth wit di secretions dey make viruses and bacteria fit enta

Di most common STIs na gonorrhea and syphilis, sabi pipo tell tBBC News Brazil, di BBC Portuguese language service.

Symptoms of syphilis na sores inside di mouth and on di cheeks, as well as patches on di skin.

Most time pipo no dey even sabi say dem dey infected because dem fit mistake di symptoms for candidiasis. In dis case, dem fit diagnose am late.

Apart from di STIs dem mention above, unprotected oral sex also dey increase di risk of papillomavirus (human papillomavirus), herpes, chlamydia, hepatitis, and gonococcal tonsillitis.

Although doctors warn of di risk of contracting infections during oral sex, e no dey easy to know for sure how many pipo dey infected dis way, because in many cases di symptoms of dis diseases no dey visible, and no be all pipo dey provide adequate information to health agencies.

But how di infection dey happun?

Contact between di mouth and di genitals fit lead to di development of one or even several STIs. Simple contact wit di skin of one pesin wit lesion fit promote transmission.

For di case of men, semen and pre-seminary fluids fit spread to one pesin wey give oral stimulation.

Di lubricating fluid from di vagina fit also transmit pathogens, although women dey naturally fit catch STIs sake of di anatomy of dia sex organ.

“Di vaginal mucosa na very thin epithelium. During sexual intercourse, e dey get almost always some degree of fissure for di region, wey dey make different kain virus fit enta.

Di man, on di other hand, get exposed organ ” Camila Ahrens, one infectious disease specialist for Marcelino Champagnat Hospital for Curitiba, Brazil tok.

Di risk dey increase even more in case of lesions on di genitals or for di mouth.

In practice, wen pesin practice wetin doctors call cunnilingus, wey dey involve to use di tongue to stimulate di vagina, and fellatio, wey involve doing di same wit di penis, e get risk of transmitting infections and diseases.

For rimming, wey involve stimulating di partner anus wit di tongue, e dey also conducive to infection, wit hepatitis A wey be one of di most common. E also get risk of chlamydia, gonorrhea and other diseases.

“In fact, insertive vaginal sex involve more exchange of bodily fluids. Di anus get higher risk of laceration, wey dey make am easier for viruses or bacteria to enta. Oral sex get less risk, but pipo wey dey practice di act fit transmit am and those wey get active disease fit transmit am”, Mr. Ahrens add am.

Dis na some of di infections wey pesin fit gbab during unprotected oral sex.

Syphilis

Na bacterium Treponema pallidum dey cause dis infection wey fit affect di genitals, throat and mouth. Dem fit also transmit am through both oral sex and penetration.

Na through blood test dem fit diagnose am.

Dis IST dey mainly takes place in three stages: primary, secondary and tertiary.

For di primary stage, one painless ulcer appear afta contact of di bacteria wit di skin of di contaminated pesin. Di patient fit get lesions inside di mouth, either for tongue or on di cheeks. Na “hard chancre”. Dem dey call dis lesions.

“Dem fit dey painless or make dem mistake am cold sore,” Igor Marinho, one infectious disease specialist for di Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo hospital tok.

For dis case, di pesin wey get oral sex fit infect im partner without even knowing say im dey sick.

“Dem dey find di bacterium for semen and for di fluid from di penis,” Demetrius Montenegro, head of di infectiology department for di Oswaldo Cruz University Hospital of di University of Pernambuco add am.

Secondary syphilis get more systemic symptoms and dey happun few weeks afta contamination of di first type. Pesin fit get spots and skin infections.

For di tertiary form, symptoms fit appear years afta infection. In case of late diagnosis, e get risk of vascular and neurological damage, heart failure or stroke.

“Na silent disease and dem dey usually transmit am”, Montenegro add.

Di treatment na to use antibiotics and di best form of prevention na to di use of condoms, both male and female.

Gonococcal tonsillitis

Na gonococcal bacteria, di same agent as gonorrhea dey cause am, di infection dey cause discharge from di tonsils and throat.

Dem dey usually transmit am through oral sex, as e get direct contact of di mouth wit di genitals, wey dey increase di risk of transmission. Diagnosis na based on di patient symptom history.

In general, di examination consist of removing secretions from di throat to visualize di microorganism.

According to Ms Montenegro, na still taboo among doctors wen it come to dey ask pipo sexual activity.

If information sharing dey more widespread, dem fit avoid late diagnoses, wey fit improve di therapeutic response to di disease, im tok.

Most times, pesin wey don already dey infected wit gonorrhea fit dey asymptomatic and infect dia partner.

As e be resistant type of bacteria, not be all antibiotics dey treat and cure di problem. E dey important to conduct one thorough investigation to find dis STI.

“Unresponsive tonsillitis fit cause suspicion and ask if di patient don get oral sex. Gonococci usually dey appear for di genital area and then infect di oda. Dis na true for both men and women “, di hospital infectious disease specialist Oswaldo Cruz tok am.

Gonorrhoea

Dis STI wey gonococci dey cause fit cause urethral discharge and, for di most severe cases, infection of di pelvis and even infertility. Transmission dey happun through both penetration and oral sex.

Dem dey do di diagnosis as dem dey do test for covid-19 test, as dem go put swab into di throat.

An infection for dis part of di body fit dey asymptomatic and di individual dey most times infect others without even knowing say dem don do am.

Di treatment of dis sexually transmitted infection also dey complicated and fit take a long time, because in some cases di body dey develop increased resistance to certain antibiotics.

HPV

Na human papillomavirus dey cause dis sexually transmitted infection. HPV dey cause warts for di  genital, oral and anal regions. Di main mode of transmission na through sexual intercourse, including oral-genital, genital-genital or even manual-genital contact.

During oral sex, di onset of symptoms fit also happun on di tongue, throat, inside of di cheek, and gum tissue. But contamination only dey happun wen e get primary lesion or crack. In dis way, di viral agent fit enta di body and contaminate di individual.

Prompt and effective treatment dye important, as di infection fit progress to cervical cancer. Dem dey also consider HPV as important agent wey dey cause tumors of di anus, head and neck.

Treatment consist of cauterizing and to remove di warts.

Di easiest way to protect yourself na di vaccine, wey dey available on di public network for certain specific groups. “Ideally, pesin suppose don collect di vaccine before e start sexual intercourse. E get plenti types of HPV, but di vaccine dey protect against those wey dey cause cancer,” Ms. Montenegro warn am.

Herpes

Na one virus dey cause dis STI and dem fit divide am into type 1 and 2.

For di first case, di appearance of “bubbles” dey more common for di oral region. For di second, symptoms fit appear for di genital area.

If di problem happun again (with di appearance of lesions for di form of blisters and sores), dey mean say di pesin no really get immunity and must undergo tests to verify di lack of vitamins or other nutrients.

Di mode of transmission fit also be through other non-sexual means, like kissing, brushing makeup, sharing objects, etc. Treatment dey include di use of ointments or tablets.

Chlamydia

Na Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria dey cause dis infection.

E dey cause inflammation for di genital and urinary regions.

Di organism fit cause cervicitis, wey sometimes dey reach di cervix and causs pain and bleeding during intercourse. For more severe infections, e fit cause infertility for both men and women.

Data from di US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show say most cases dey happun in pipo between di ages of 15 and 24.

Dem also still transmit dis STI transmitted through oral sex. Di risk increases wen e get contact wit semen, as e fit get higher viral load of di infectious agent.

Therefore, unprotected sex, including penetration, also increase di risk of dis disease.

To treat di condition, e dey recommended to use antibiotics and not to have sex for di duration, wey be usually for seven days.

Hepatitis A, B and C

These infections na di main cause of chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Meanwhile, transmission of hepatitis A fit happun through di fecal-oral route.

In other words, e dey possible to contract di infection during oral sex, but also during any sexual activity. However, di most common na through di anus.

“For 2017, di WHO issue one alert about an outbreak of hepatitis A sake of oral-anal sexual transmission. Dis outbreak happun for some cities for Europe, like Barcelona.

E no get any specific treatment yet for dis type of hepatitis. In general, experts recommend washing your hands and eating well, using condoms before and afta sex, washing your genitals, perineum and anal area afta sex, and disinfecting vibrators. , anal and vaginal plugs.

In type B, contamination fit be due to injury to di mouth, contact wit semen and di vaginal or anal canal.

Treatment include di use of antivirals and also, if necessary, di avoidance of alcoholic beverages.

For di case of type C, di risk of transmission through oral sex dey lower.

Transmission na mostly through handling infected objects like needles, syringes, and other objects used for recreational drug use. Treatment na wit antivirals.

Risk of contracting HIV dey?

Although less common, e also dey possible to become infected wit HIV through oral sex. However, e go need one large amount of virus for am to happun.

In addition, if transmission go dey, di partner go need get wound or bruise for di mouth or throat.

“Di risk dey little lower, but e get possibility through small injuries like those wey fit happun during hair removal, for example,” Marinho tok.

Contamination between men and women dey different because of ejaculation.

According to di doctors, di test showed say di viral load dey higher for di semen, wey constitute on portal of entry for di infection.

Na unique factor for dis infection.

What about monkeypox?

Yes, dem still fit transmit di virus wey dey cause monkeypox through oral sex.

In fact, dem dey transmit di virus if di pesin gbab contact wit di typical lesions of di disease, wey dey happun appear on di mouth, genitals, anus and arms.

Na why doctors dey recommend say pipo wey get dat kain skin manifestations seek medical evaluation and testing.

If di test confam di disease, E dey necessary to remain isolated until di wound dey completely healed.

How pesin fit prevent all dis disease?

One of di most affordable means na di use of barrier methods, wey dey prevent di mucous membrane of di mouth from coming into contact wit di genitals.

In di past, since di use of female condoms no dey widespread, doctors recommend di use of cling film, di transparent paper used in di kitchen, during oral sex.

However, due to im poor stickiness – and di fact say e dey more likely to come off during sex – practitioners now suggest using di female condom.

But e still dey rare to see couples dey use protection during oral sex.

“E dey very difficult to see patients dey use them. We see a lot of pipo dey re-infected because dem no hear medical advice,” Ahrens tok.

For men, dem also recommend di use of condoms during any sexual intercourse. “You have to protect di genital area wit a condom and no remove am. You fit wear di female condom, di male condom or both,” Tuon explain am.

E also dey important to take educational measures and public implement public policies, especially among young pipo and adolescents wey no dey really use condoms.

For pipo wey don already dey sexually active, experts recommend screening every six months to identify possible infections.

“Pipo wit syphilis need to dey tested,” Mr Tuon warn.

Prophylaxis, one prevention method wey dem dey use before and afta sex, also dey recommended to reduce di risk of STIs.

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Anoda recommendation na to go to public hospitals for consultations and advice.