Oral Exam by Bruce Little

When contemplating giving or receiving a blowjob there is a
mouthful of information worth considering:

Just getting started, it takes about two tablespoons of
blood to get a man’s penis erect and a blow job is a fun way of speeding up
this process.  The term blowjob actually
dates all the way back to Victorian times when prostitutes were referred to as
a “blowsy”, hence the logical progression of acquiring a “blowjob”.  In some cultures oral sex is a taboo and in
Japan the celebrated Geisha considered it a demeaning act. Nowadays there is a
common misconception that oral sex is more casual and less risky and that a person’s
virginity remains intact after engaging in oral sex if there has been no penile
vaginal or penile anal penetration.  But
the mouth may not be such a safe hole after all.

Whether or not you believe giving or receiving head
constitutes having actual sex, there may be consequences to being generous
and  giving them out “willy-nilly”. In
fact there is more at risk than just having a weak gag reflex and losing your
lunch in your lover’s lap. 

Blowjobs expose you to the following diseases and infections.
Here are some tips on what to look out for and how to be safer about popping a
“lolly”.  Take a good look at the penis
before you put it in your mouth.  Look
out for sores, blisters and warts. 
Similarly, don’t let a mouth with sores and blisters envelope your
penis! To date there is no confirmed 
medical record of anyone contracting HIV from oral sex but it is
possible if the person performing the oral sex has cuts and abrasions in their
mouths and/or bleeding gums and the person being blown is HIV positive and
ejaculates into the other persons mouth. 
Some sores and blisters can be hidden from view and it may be awkward to
ask your partner to open their mouth wide so you can take a look.  There may be more at risk than just herpes or
syphilis for example; your partner may have gonorrhoea in his anus that won’t
exactly alert you of its presence.  
Mutual masturbation may be a safer option if you harbour any
doubts. 

Oral sex can put you at risk for syphilis, gonorrhoea (of
the genitals and of the throat), warts (HPV), hepatitis A, gastrointestinal
infections and parasites brought about by poor hygiene.   If you
are having oral sex regularly with different partners you should be getting
tested every 6 months for syphilis.

Now that you have considered the risks involved you may want
to score some pointers on how to improve your technique. Even though it is
called a “blowjob” it is much more effective if you do the opposite and
suck.  Not everybody was born with the
“deep-throat” gene, so if you have a very sensitive gag-reflex place your hand
around the shaft of the penis, to the point that you feel comfortable taking
the penis into your mouth, and focus on the head of the penis.  This way even if your partner gets excited
and thrusts, you will be able to control how much of the penis you take into
your mouth.  Generally speaking, using
your teeth is a “no-no” and folding your lips over your teeth to resemble
someone with their dentures removed may not look sexy, but it feels infinitely
more comfortable.  Take your time and
experiment with flavoured lubricants to make the experience easier if you
struggle with foreign objects in your mouth. 
Being open to discussing what your partner enjoys and sharing your own
preferences will help to enrich the experience even more. 

Health4Men
is a project of the Anova Health Institute NPC funded by PEPFAR/USAID. The
views in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the
funders. Health4Men supports sexual health services for MSM. For free screening
and any information about your sexual health, visit your nearest Health4Men
supported clinic or www.health4men.co.za.