What STIs can a person get from oral?

You can catch several STIs from oral sex, including herpes, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HPV.

Herpes is one of the most common. If someone has a cold sore on their mouth (which is caused by the herpes virus) and performs oral sex, they can pass herpes to their partner's genitals. It works the other way round too.

Gonorrhoea and chlamydia can both infect the throat, so giving oral sex to someone who has either of these can result in a throat infection. You might not have any symptoms, which is why it often goes unnoticed.

Syphilis can be passed through oral sex if there's a sore present. HPV can also be transmitted orally, and some strains are linked to throat cancer, though this is rare.

HIV can technically be passed through oral sex too, but the risk is very low compared to vaginal or anal sex.

The risk of catching an STI from oral sex is generally lower than from penetrative sex, but it's not zero. Using a condom or dental dam reduces the risk.

You can catch several STIs from oral sex. The main ones are herpes, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HPV.

Herpes is one of the most common. A cold sore on the mouth can pass herpes to someone's genitals through oral sex.

Gonorrhoea and chlamydia can infect the throat. You might not have any symptoms, which is why it often goes unnoticed.

HIV can also be passed through oral sex, but the risk is very low.

The risk of catching an STI from oral sex is lower than from penetrative sex, but it is not zero. Using a condom or dental dam reduces the risk.