If someone with herpes has sores in his or her mouth and performs oral sex, he or she can give the partner genital herpes. Beth Baltimore, a peer sexuality educator at Smith College, says that many young people are unaware of the dangers.
Oral sex poses a risk just as sexual intercourse does.
According to Baltimore, herpes poses the biggest threat to people engaging in oral sex. Dental dams can be used for oral sex on a woman and non-lubricated condoms for oral sex on a man, according to Baltimore. She also advises couples to agree not to engage in any form of sex with anyone else. Because of the potentially fatal consequences associated with sexual activity, many educators and health experts advise teens to abstain from intercourse and oral sex. Through communication, Baltimore agrees, couples may find that they prefer a different and less dangerous way to be close.