[Risky Sex – an excerpt from Sense & Sexuality]
And about those other sexual activities …
Having more than five oral sex partners has been associated with throat cancer. Turns out that HPV can cause malignant tumors in the throat, just like it does in the cervix.
In a study of sexually active college men, HPV was found both where you’d expect—the genital area—and where you wouldn’t: under fingernails. Yes, you read that right. Researchers now speculate whether the virus can be shared during activities considered “safe,” like mutual masturbation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 30% of all women will have had anal intercourse by the age of 24. Even with condoms, this behavior places them at increased risk of infection with HIV and other STDs. For example, the risk for HIV transmission during anal intercourse is at least 20 times higher than with vaginal intercourse.
The government website, www.fda.gov, provides no-nonsense advice about avoiding HIV: “Condoms provide some protection, but anal intercourse is simply too dangerous to practice.”
The rectum is an exit, not an entrance. Anal penetration is hazardous. Don’t do it.
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