Posted on the No Room For Contraception Campaign's blog by Ruben (http://www.contraceptionblog.com)
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine, Case-Control Study of Human Papillomavirus and Oropharyngeal Cancer, found that "a high lifetime number of vaginal-sex partners (26 or more) was associated with oropharyngeal cancer ...as was a high lifetime number of oral-sex partners (6 or more)"
The conclusion of the study?
"Oral HPV infection is strongly associated with oropharyngeal cancer among subjects with or without the established risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use."
Some mistakenly think that only sexual intercourse is risky - the HPV oral-sex link should help point out that oral sex can be risky as well.
This is just one more reason to teach abstinence to both adolescents and young adults.
It's also a reason to pursue a vaccine for HPV. While some may argue that this will lower the consequences of premarital sex, there is the other side of the coin: What if infection takes place after vows are exchanged? Disease prevention is never wrong, and the case against premarital sex does not rest on health risks alone.
Hat tip: Britt Shankle
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