Dear Yvonne,
What are the dangers of oral sex without using a condom?
—Sissie

Dear Sissie,
As discussed in my first book, The Hot Guide to Safer Sex, unprotected oral sex is a high-risk sexual behavior. You can get sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, or HIV, from performing oral sex on a man or woman. Another thing to keep in mind is that when someone has the common cold sore (a.k.a. oral herpes — HSV-1) and goes down on you, you could contract genital herpes, or HSV-2.

To protect yourself, use a dental dam, which is a rectangular latex barrier that is placed over the vulva (or anus) during cunnilingus (oral sex on a female), or a non-lubricated, non-spermicidal condom during fellatio (oral sex on a male). You can also use a sheet of non-microwavable Saran Wrap if a dental dam is not available, or cut a condom lengthwise for a square.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”