In a controversial television interview, actor Michael Douglas recently explained that his throat cancer had actually been caused by a sexual health problem. He claimed that having oral sex with his wife had caused him to contract the human papillomavirus (HPV) which caused his head and neck cancer.
So, is oral sex always a threat to your wellness and wellbeing? Experts claim that this is simply not the case and that the reports that are around at the moment are causing people an unnecessary level of worry.
Some have proposed that a change in sexual behaviour should be advised due to the risks of contracting HPV, but experts say that these types of conclusions are premature. Whilst oral sex may be one risk factor for certain types of head and neck cancers, at this point the link is mainly speculative. In addition to this, there are many, many other elements that play a role in whether or not someone develops cancer, including how strong their immune system is, the experts say.
In general, if two people are in a monogamous relationship, there is really no need for them to restrict their sexual activities as long as they are both in good health.
Contrary to reports, cases of head and neck cancer are not on the increase. In fact, when studied as a group, cases of these types of cancer have actually declined in the United States of America during the last 25 years. On the other hand, there has been an increase in the number of head and neck cancer amongst younger people, and these cases are primarily caused by HPV.
HPV is generally sexually transmitted, and the virus causes nearly every case of cervical cancer. It can also cause anal cancer and genital warts.