Yes, also we must not forget sestinas and bisexual women would be greatly concerned if the one way to enjoy sex (for them) leads to throat cancer. How many kissing and oral sex partners do lesbians and bisexual women have in their lifetimes? Probably five by the early twenies and maybe seve or eight total be their 50s.
I am not saying there is no risk. But to me, I will wait a few years, keep on getting checked every dental visit for lesions, and if I so happen to have a girlfriend after I feel safer, and after she gets a clear result on a pap smear, I will use a dental dam.
I think the numbers of people enjoying oral sex and kissing is much higher than that! I def don't plan to live my life not doing either. ;) While I am having cell changes and warts I will not but once these symptoms are gone...
I agree with the drinking and smoking being huge factors. I am also not drinking til my body heals. I am very good with food/exercice and take lots of vits. Keeping a healthy immune system is important for overall health.
I have lately worried that I might have oral HPV and not know it, meaning perhaps HPV-16, which could turn to throat cancer. Yet Dr. Handsfield reasoned that most HPV is unseen, HPV-16, very common. He suggests oral sex (woman receiving) is very common, perhaps one million people per year do it. Yet 10,000 people per year get oral lesions, and a lot of that is from HPV COMBINED with being a smoker or heavy drinker of alcohol. Also statistics don't include French kissing, which is also skin-to-skin, and perhaps as common or more common than oral sex.
To be safer, I feel it is better to no longer give oral sex, to drink more green tea (preliminary studies show a higher survival rate from oral cancers), to sweat out the toxins through exercise, to eat more natural foods, including more vegetables, to not be obese, get more sleep, and drink plenty of water to help wash out toxins. If oral HPV is dormant, which is probably the case in hundreds of thousands of Americans this instant, it is best to keep your immune system very strong to keep it dormant. Also to get a good dentist to check for abnormalities every six months. Treatments of oral cancers involving HPV are more effective than oral cancers stemming from tobacco or alcohol abuse.
I have had mixed responses to my questions about this topic to docs. Some say no don't worry at all that the risks are very low, some say don't have oral while symptoms are present, meaning cell changes or warts. I will see an ENT in a week to ask them.
How were you tested or found out you have oral HPV? What are your symptoms? If you are sexually active is your partner at risk via kissing, oral sex? Once you have oral do you always have oral HPV?
I just found out I have high and low risk HPV two weeks ago. I have very mild dyplasia and small vaginal warts that I will start treament for. My biggest fears have to do with oral issues. I have had mucoceles in my lower front inner gum for 3.5 months but can't find any link to HPV other than stress and fears maybe causing them.
I don't know if it it low or high, but it is possible. A friend who works for the cancer treatment centers of America claims that head and neck cancers are exploding in frequency. He attributes it to the sexual revolution in the 60's that made oral sex acceptable. BTW, I have oral HPV and it's not fun. Tom