[1000units]

Why is this downvoted? This is both absolutely true and incredibly important. It's literally a matter of life and death.

edit: If you are downvoting this as an emotional reaction to something you haven't considered before, please consider calming down and examining the evidence with a rational mind. Your health and that of the people you love are at risk.

[coldtea]

First, hardly a matter of "life and death". It merely increases still very small odds.

Second, it's not oral sex that increases the odds, it's papillomavirus, which can be transmitted through oral sex (but also through other means of sex, including kissing).

You could have oral sex with someone that doesn't have the papillomavirus as often as you want, and you wouldn't get cancer from. In fact even sticking to a single oral partner (e.g. your spouse) reduces the (already small) odds heavily, even if you're not sure whether they have HPV or not.

[salex89]

I know that HPV causes it, not oral sex by itself, I just didn't elaborate enough.

It is true that vigorous kissing can maybe lead to HPV, but you have to get the virus to the mouth in the first place...

[1000units]

This is an overly simplistic, optimistic view of disease. Method of exposure matters significantly. Note how heterosexual couples virtually never have to worry about HIV, for example, if you're unfamiliar with this concept.

[coldtea]

>Note how heterosexual couples virtually never have to worry about HIV, for example, if you're unfamiliar with this concept.

Yeah, that's not how HIV (or heterosexual couples) work...

[1000units]

I'm sorry, I do not understand what you're trying to imply.

[seba_dos1]

> Note how heterosexual couples virtually never have to worry about HIV

I think you may be in for some bad news.

[1000units]

Please elaborate if you have the opportunity.

How many strictly heterosexual couples have been infected with HIV in the history of mankind? I'm aware there must be some due to IV drug abuse.

[coldtea]

>How many strictly heterosexual couples have been infected with HIV in the history of mankind?

Several tens of millions (most of them in Africa), why?

[1000units]

Do you have any statistics on this you can refer me to? The CDC estimates the transmission risk for receptive PIV intercourse to be about 8 in 10,000 exposures (0.08%). It's half that for the insertive partner.

[xutopia]

If you are worried about it get the Gardasil vaccine. It is 600$ in my country and I got it out of pocket because I think it's a great idea for anyone mildly active sexually.

[astura]

Gardasil is only effective if you haven't been exposed to HPV yet, so excellent for young people, less effective in preventing cancer for older people.

It also doesn't prevent all strains of HPV.

[1000units]

Vaccination is recommended before one's first sexual encounter, which happens at a very young age for many people. I was a goner before I even knew about it. I don't want other people to suffer the same fate.

People should be making a bigger deal out of HPV, not dismissing it like elsewhere in this thread.

[1000units]

I agree that everybody should be vaccinated, but Gardasil only immunizes against a few strains of cancer-inducing HPV.