INDEPENDENT (UK) – Oral sex is stoking an “epidemic” of throat cancer, which is now more common than cervical cancer in the US and the UK, experts say.
A new study claims that this has prompted a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the area of the tonsils and back of the throat.
Dr Hisham Mehanna, from the UK’s University of Birmingham, said this was mainly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), which is also the main cause of cancer of the cervix.
Writing in The Conversation, Dr Mehanna said: “Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the West, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic.
Medical experts have pegged HPV infection to be the biggest risk factor for developing the disease.
“The most recent estimates for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers in the United States are for 2023: About 54,540 new cases, about 11,580 deaths. The average age of people diagnosed with these cancers is 64.” – American Cancer Society
Dr Mehanna continued: “HPV is sexually transmitted. For oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex.
In the UK, 80 per cent of adults reported practising oral sex at some point in their lives, Dr Mehanna said.
Around 8,300 people are diagnosed with throat cancer each year in the UK, which is about 1 in every 50 cancers diagnosed, according to the NHS.
More than 2 in 3 cases of mouth cancer develop in adults over the age of 55. Only 1 in 8 (12.5 per cent) happens in people younger than 50 … READ MORE.
What to Do Instead Of Oral Sex
SHEKNOWS.COM – Oral sex can hold a lot of weight in a relationship between two people. It’s not an issue if you both like getting and receiving it, of course.
But what if one of you loves the way it feels and it’s your favorite way to be intimate with your partner, but they aren’t interested in partaking? That can be a huge problem and leave you feeling like something is missing (and, for many people with vaginas, it can lead to feeling like there’s one less path to orgasm.)
If this has ever been the case with you and you are fine working your way around it by finding other ways to orgasms or being sexual with your partner, then chances are it isn’t affecting your relationship.
But let’s face it; many people feel like getting oral sex can be an out-of-body experience and make you climax in a way you don’t through intercourse, touching or using a vibrator.
In fact, it’s a running joke with a lot of couples that a man wants a blow job for his birthday or a holiday and he’s satisfied with just that. I’ve talked to women who dole them out simply because they know it makes their man incredibly happy, but they don’t actually love giving them.
But for some, it’s not just about pleasure — It’s about wanting to connect with someone on a different level. And you may feel offended or wonder if there is something wrong with you if the person you are intimate doesn’t have an interest in engaging in oral sex.
Domina Franco, a writer, sex educator and coach who has been studying human sexuality for over 20 years, recently spoke with She Knows and let us in on some tips to work through this situation, because if you ask me, oral sex is like being put under a magic spell, and if you enjoy it, you should get it …
