QUESTION
I have given oral sex to a prostitute. Is it possible for me to pass on anything to someone if they give me oral? I hear that STDs are likely to centralize in the place of contact so for me the mouth, so would I be at risk of spreading if I continued to give oral but not by receiving oral?

ANSWER
Giving oral sex to a woman “going down” is very low risk, as is, receiving oral sex as a woman. The risk with men is far higher. It is possible to get an STD like chlamydia or gonorrhea from giving a blow job or getting a blow job. Herpes viruses can be spread from men or women to a partner through oral sex as well. It is possible, but rare, for a man to give herpes to a woman by performing oral sex. It is very, very, very difficult to spread HIV through oral sex.

For a breakdown of the possible risks, see http://www.sfcityclinic.org/stdbasics/stdchart.asp.

To your health,
Dr. K