Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is the act of performing oral sex, using the mouth and tongue to stimulate the female genitals. The clitoris is particularly noted for stimulation as it is often the most sensitive part of the female genitalia. The term comes from an alternative Latin word for the vulva (cunnus) and from the Latin word for tongue (lingua). Some women achieve orgasm easily from clitoral stimulation as part of cunnilingus.[1]
Technique
As in all human sexual behaviour, the variety of techniques in cunnilingus and individual responses to them are varied.
The clitoris is the most sexually sensitive part of the body for almost all women, but may be too sensitive to pleasantly stimulate directly at times, especially in early stages of arousal. It is often best to begin with a gentler, less focused stimulation of the labia and the whole genital area. The tip, blade, or underside of the tongue can be used, as can the nose, chin, lips and, with caution, the teeth. Movements can be slow or fast, regular or erratic, firm or soft according to the recipient's preference. The tongue can be inserted into the vagina, either stiffened or moving. Humming to cause vibration while performing cunnilingus is often considered to be especially arousing, with certain pitches, rhythms or tunes thought to be particularly effective by different people.
Cunnilingus is easily accompanied by the insertion of finger(s) or a sex toy into the vagina, which allows for the simultaneous stimulation of the g-spot, and/or into the anus, either of which many women find produce very intense sensations.[2] Many other activities can accompany cunnilingus to enhance overall pleasure, limited only by preference, psychology and anatomy.
Cultural and spiritual significance
Although not spoken of openly in Western society until recently, cunnilingus is accorded a revered place in Chinese Taoism. This is because the aim of Taoism is to achieve immortality, or at least longevity, and the loss of semen, vaginal, and other, bodily liquids is believed to bring about a corresponding loss of vitality. However, conversely, by either semen retention or ingesting the secretions from the vagina, a male can conserve and increase his ch'i, or original vital breath. In Taoism:
The Great Medicine of the Three Mountain Peaks is to be found in the body of the woman and is composed of three juices, or essences: one from the woman's mouth, another from her breasts, and the third, the most powerful, from the Grotto of the White Tiger, which is at the Peak of the Purple Mushroom (the mons veneris).
— Octavio Paz. Conjunctions and Disjunctions. trans. Helen R. Lane. 1975. (London: Wildwood House, 1969) p. 97.
According to Philip Rawson (in Paz, p. 97), these half-poetic, half-medicinal metaphors explain the popularity of cunnilingus among the Chinese: "The practice was an excellent method of imbibing the precious feminine fluid" (Paz, p. 97). But the Taoist ideal is not just about the male being enriched by female secretions; the female also benefits from her communion with the male, a feature that has led the sinologist, Kristofer Schipper, to denounce the ancient handbooks on the "Art of the Bedroom" as embracing a "kind of glorified male vampirism," that is not truly Taoist at all.[3] Ideally, by mingling the male and female liquids, the Taoist aims to reconcile opposites and to recapture the mythical time that existed before the division of the sexes, the primordial time of the original ch'i.
The religious historian Mircea Eliade speaks of a similar desire to transcend old age and death, and achieve a state of nirvana, in the Hindu practice of Tantric yoga. In Tantric yoga, the same emphasis is placed on the retention and absorption of vital liquids and Sanskrit texts describe how the male semen must not be emitted if the yogin is to avoid falling under law of time and death.[4]
STD risk
Chlamydia, human papillomavirus (HPV), gonorrhea, herpes, hepatitis (multiple strains), and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — including HIV — can be transmitted through oral sex.[5] While the risk of transmitting HIV through cunnilingus is unknown, it is suspected to be fairly rare. Any kind of direct contact with body fluids of a person infected with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) poses a risk of infection. The risk from most of these types of infection, however, is generally considered far lower than that associated with vaginal or anal sex.
If the receiving partner has wounds or open sores on their genitals, or if the giving partner has wounds or open sores on or in their mouth, or bleeding gums, this poses an increased risk of STD transmission. Brushing the teeth, flossing, undergoing dental work, or eating crunchy foods such as potato crisps relatively soon before or after performing cunnilingus can also increase the risk of transmission, because all of these activities can cause small scratches in the lining of the mouth. These wounds, even when they are microscopic, increase the chances of contracting STDs that can be transmitted orally under these conditions. Such contact can also lead to more mundane infections from common bacteria and viruses found in, around and secreted from the genital regions.
HPV and oral cancer risk
In 2005, a research study at the College of Malmö in Sweden suggested that performing unprotected oral sex on a person infected with HPV might increase the risk of oral cancer . The study found that 36 percent of the cancer patients had HPV compared to only 1 percent of the healthy control group. [6]
Another recent study suggests a correlation between oral sex and throat cancer. It is believed that this is due to the transmission of human papillomavirus or (HPV) because this virus has been implicated in the majority of cervical cancers. The study concludes that people who had one to five oral sex partners in their lifetime had approximately a doubled risk of throat cancer compared with those who never engaged in this activity and those with more than five oral-sex partners had a 250% increased risk.[7]
Prevention
Due to disease risks, many medical professionals advise the use of dental dams when performing or receiving cunnilingus with a partner whose STD status is unknown. A makeshift dental dam can be made out of a condom (instructions). Using a real dental dam is preferable, because real dental dams are larger, and the makeshift version may be accidentally poked with the scissors during the cutting procedure. Plastic wrap may also be used, but this is less preferable because the thickness dulls sensation. Certain kinds of plastic wrap are manufactured with tiny holes to allow venting during microwaving, which may allow transmission of pathogens.
In popular culture
Cunnilingus is sometimes referred to as "licking out", "going down" or "eating out", "muffdiving" and "munching carpet". In lesbian culture several common slang terms used are "giving lip," "lip service," or "tipping the velvet" (a pre-Victorian expression popularized by novelist Sarah Waters).
External links
References
- ^ Hite, Shere (2004 edition). The Hite Report: A Nationwide Study of Female Sexuality. New York, NY: Seven Stories Press. p. 11. ISBN 1-58322-569-2.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Human sexuality in a world of diversity. New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education. 2005 edition. pp. 124, 226. ISBN 1-205-46013-5.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Kristofer Schipper. [1982] 1993. The Taoist Body. trans. Karen C. Duval. Berkeley; Los Angeles; (London: University of California Press). p. 148
- ^ Eliade Mircea. [1954] 1973. Yoga, Immortality and Freedom. trans. Willard R. Trask. (Princeton: Princeton University Press). p. 267–268
- ^ http://www.uhs.uga.edu/sexualhealth/oral_sex.html#safe
- ^ http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=5822
- ^ http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11819&feedId=online-news_rss20
