Maintaining a good sexual health is one of the foremost concerns of individuals who actively participate in a sexual activity. However, a latest study suggests that men could face a bit more challenges when it comes to sexually-transmitted infections.
One of the greatest risk in terms of sexual health is developing throat and mouth cancer linked to oral sex. According to a research team at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, oral sex increases the risk of head, neck, throat and mouth cancer through human papillomavirus (HPV).
It is estimated that HPV affects nearly 70 to 80 percent of sexually active men and women and is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. The researchers claim that men are twice likely to contract HPV-related cancers than women. The risk is particularly higher in middle-aged white men, as compared to men belonging to other races.
In case of men, the researchers found that the risk of oral HPV increases with the number of oral sex partners that men have had. However, the effect is opposite in the case of women. That is, the number of sexual partners does not seem to increase the risk of oral HPV in women. Women with greater number of vaginal sex partners had a lower risk of contracting HPV-related cancer as compared to men.
The researchers say that the difference lies in the robustness of the immune response in men and women. Men do not seem to have a robust immune system, however, women develop an immune response that prevents them against an oral HPV infection as soon as they encounter HPV vaginally, reports MedicalXpress.
According to researcher Gypsyamber D’Souza, two of three cases of oral cancer in the US can be can be attributed to the HPV 16 strain infection, reports The Tech Times.
The complete details of the study have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Sexual Health: Men Could Be At A Greater Risk Of Oral Cancer Than Women
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