Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off)
is an
oral sex act involving a person stimulating the
penis of another person by using the
mouth,
throat, or both.
Oral stimulation of the
scrotum may also be termed ''fellatio'',
or colloquially as ''
teabagging.''
If fellatio is performed on oneself, the act is called
autofellatio
Autofellatio is the act of oral stimulation of one's own penis as a form of masturbation. Only a limited number of males are physically capable of performing autofellatio.Savage, Dan. Savage Love', page 242 (Plume 1998).
History
Egyptologis ...
.
Fellatio can be
sexually arousing for both participants, and may lead to
orgasm
Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region chara ...
for the partner being fellated.
It may be performed by a
sexual partner as
foreplay before other
sexual activities
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...
, such as
vaginal
In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen. ...
or
anal intercourse,
or as an
erotic and
physically intimate act of its own.
Fellatio creates a risk of contracting
sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but the risk is significantly lower than that of vaginal or anal sex, especially for
HIV transmission.
Most countries do not have laws banning the practice of fellatio, though some cultures may consider it
taboo.
People may also refrain from engaging in fellatio due to personal preference, negative feelings, or
sexual inhibitions.
Commonly, people do not view oral sex as affecting the
virginity of either partner, though opinions on the matter vary.
[Se]
here
an
47-49
for male virginity, how gay and lesbian individuals define virginity loss, and for how the majority of researchers and heterosexuals define virginity loss/"technical virginity" by whether or not a person has engaged in vaginal sex.
Etymology
The
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
noun ''fellatio'' comes from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
', the past
participle
In linguistics, a participle () (from Latin ' a "sharing, partaking") is a nonfinite verb form that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. More narrowly, ''participle'' has been defined as "a word derived from ...
of the verb ', meaning to suck. In ''fellatio'' the ''-us'' is replaced by the ''-io'' while the declension stem ends in ''-ion-'', which gives the suffix the form ''-ion'' (cf. French ''fellation''). The ''-io''(''n'') ending is used in English to create nouns from Latin
adjective
In linguistics, an adjective ( abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the ...
s and it can indicate a state or action wherein the Latin verb is being, or has been, performed.
Further English words have been created based on the same Latin root. A person who performs fellatio upon another (i.e. who ''fellates'',) may be termed a ''fellator.'' Latin's
gender based declension means this word may be restricted to describing a male. The equivalent term for a female is ''fellatrix''.
Practice
General
Fellatio can be
sexually arousing for both participants, and males who receive fellatio commonly experience
orgasm
Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region chara ...
and
ejaculation
Ejaculation is the discharge of semen (the ''ejaculate''; normally containing sperm) from the male reproductory tract as a result of an orgasm. It is the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential compo ...
of
semen during the act.
People may use fellatio as
foreplay to sexually arouse their
sex partner before
vaginal
In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen. ...
or
anal intercourse, or other
sexual activity,
or they may use it as an
erotic and
physically intimate act in its own right.
The sex partner may be of either sex. When the penis is
thrust into someone's mouth, it may be called ''
irrumatio'', though the term is rarely used.
The essential aspect of fellatio is oral stimulation of the penis through some combination of sucking, use of the tongue and lips, and movement of the mouth.
One method is the sex partner taking the penis into the mouth and moving smoothly up and down the penis to a rhythm while being careful to avoid contact with the teeth.
Fellatio may also include the oral stimulation of the scrotum, whether licking, sucking or taking the entire scrotum into the mouth.
During the act, semen may be ejaculated into the partner's mouth.
It is difficult for some people to perform fellatio due to their sensitivities to the natural
gag reflex. Different people have different sensitivities to the reflex, but some people learn to suppress the reflex. How much of the penis a partner can take into their mouth also depends on the size and length of the penis, and they most commonly only take the end of the penis into their mouth.
It is physically possible for men with sufficient flexibility, penis size, or both, to perform fellatio on themselves as a form of
masturbation, in an act called
autofellatio
Autofellatio is the act of oral stimulation of one's own penis as a form of masturbation. Only a limited number of males are physically capable of performing autofellatio.Savage, Dan. Savage Love', page 242 (Plume 1998).
History
Egyptologis ...
. However, few men possess sufficient flexibility and penis length to safely perform the necessary
frontbend.
Deposition of semen
During fellatio, a partner may ingest semen from the penis.
Nancy Friday
Nancy Colbert Friday (August 27, 1933 – November 5, 2017) was an American author who wrote on the topics of female sexuality and liberation. Her writings argue that women have often been reared under an ideal of womanhood, which was outdated an ...
's book, ''Men in Love – Men's Sexual Fantasies: The Triumph of Love over Rage'' (1982), suggests that swallowing semen is high on a man's intimacy scale. As late as 1976, some doctors were advising women in the eighth and ninth months of pregnancy not to swallow semen lest it induce premature labor, though it is now known to be safe.
The male whose
penis is being stimulated during fellatio typically receives
sexual arousal from the act; once the prerequisite level of sexual stimulation has been achieved, and
ejaculation
Ejaculation is the discharge of semen (the ''ejaculate''; normally containing sperm) from the male reproductory tract as a result of an orgasm. It is the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential compo ...
becomes imminent, the semen discharged may be deposited onto his partner. The male may position his penis prior to ejaculation so that semen will be deposited onto his partner's face (known as a "
facial"), or other body part such as their
neck, chest or breast.
Deep-throating
Deep-throating is a sexual act in which a person takes a partner's entire
erect penis into the
mouth and throat. The technique and term became popularized by the 1972
pornographic film
''Deep Throat''. Generally, the person receiving fellatio is in control.
For deep-throating, the penis has to be long enough so that it can reach the back of the giver's throat.
Deep-throating can be difficult, due to the natural
gag reflex triggered when the
soft palate
The soft palate (also known as the velum, palatal velum, or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is part of the palate of the mouth; the other part is the hard palat ...
is touched.
People have different sensitivities to this reflex, and with practice, some people learn to suppress it. Deep-throating leads to an entirely different kind of oral stimulation in comparison to regular fellatio: the tongue is immobilized during deep-throating and sucking becomes impossible;
the
glans penis can be intensely stimulated by the tightness of the
pharynx
The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its st ...
.
Other aspects
The man receiving fellatio receives direct sexual stimulation, while his partner may derive satisfaction from giving him pleasure. Giving and receiving fellatio may happen simultaneously in sex positions like
69 and
daisy chain.
Fellatio is sometimes practiced when vaginal or anal penetration would create a physical difficulty for a sex partner. For example, it may be practiced during pregnancy instead of vaginal intercourse by couples wishing to engage in intimate sexual activity while avoiding the difficulty of vaginal intercourse during later stages of pregnancy.
Other reasons why a woman may not wish to have vaginal intercourse include apprehension of losing her virginity or of becoming pregnant,
or because she may be
menstruating.
Health aspects
Sexually transmitted infections
Chlamydia,
human papillomavirus
Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the '' Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and r ...
(HPV),
gonorrhea,
herpes,
hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes ( jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal ...
(multiple strains), and other
sexually transmitted infections (STIs/STDs) can be transmitted through oral sex.
[ Also se]
Fact Sheet
Any sexual exchange of bodily fluids with a person infected with
HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS, poses a risk of infection. Risk of STI infection, however, is generally considered significantly lower for oral sex than for vaginal or anal sex, with HIV transmission considered the lowest risk with regard to oral sex.
There is an increased risk of STI transmission if the receiving partner has wounds on his genitals, or if the giving partner has wounds or open sores on or in his or her mouth, or
bleeding gums.
Brushing the teeth, flossing, or undergoing dental work soon before or after giving fellatio 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 STIs that can be transmitted orally under these conditions.
Such contact can also lead to more mundane infections from common
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...
and
virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...
es found in, around and secreted from the genital regions. Because of the aforementioned factors, medical sources advise the use of
condoms or
other effective barrier methods when performing or receiving fellatio with a partner whose STI status is unknown.
HPV and oral cancer link
Links have been reported between oral sex and
oral cancer with HPV-infected people. A 2005 research study 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.
A 2007 study suggested a
correlation between oral sex and
throat cancer. It is believed that this is due to the transmission of HPV, a virus that has been implicated in the majority of cervical cancers and which has been detected in throat cancer tissue in numerous studies. 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 percent increased risk.
Pregnancy and semen exposure
Fellatio cannot result in
pregnancy
Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins.
Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ...
, as there is no way for ingested
sperm to reach the
uterus
The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The ...
and
fallopian tubes to fertilize an
egg cell. At any rate, acids in the stomach and
digestive enzymes in the
gastrointestinal tract break down and kill spermatozoa.
Clinical research has tentatively linked fellatio with immune modulation,
indicating it may reduce the chance of complications during pregnancy. The potentially fatal complication
pre-eclampsia was observed to occur less in women who regularly engaged in fellatio, with those who also ingested their partner's
semen being at the least risk. The results were consistent with the fact that semen contains
TGF-β1, the exchange of which between partners having a causal reduction in risk of pre-eclampsia caused by an
immunological
Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see the ...
reaction. It is worth noting that fellatio is not the only viable mechanism for the transmission of TGF-β1.
Cultural views
Virginity
Oral sex is commonly used as a means of preserving
virginity, especially among heterosexual pairings; this is sometimes termed ''
technical virginity
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
'' (which additionally includes anal sex,
mutual masturbation and other
non-penetrative sex acts, but excludes penile-vaginal sex).
The concept of "technical virginity" or
sexual abstinence through oral sex is particularly popular among teenagers in the United States,
including with regard to teenage girls who not only fellate their boyfriends to preserve their virginities, but also to create and maintain intimacy or to avoid pregnancy.
Other reasons given for the practice among teenage girls are peer-group pressure and as their introduction to sexual activity.
Additionally, gay males may regard fellatio as a way of maintaining their virginities, with penile-anal penetration defined as resulting in virginity loss, while other gay males may define fellatio as their main form of sexual activity.
Legality
Fellatio is legal in most countries. Laws of some jurisdictions regard fellatio as
penetrative sex for the purposes of
sexual offenses with regard to the act, but most countries do not have laws which ban the practice, in contrast to anal sex or
extramarital sex. In
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
ic literature, the only forms of sexual activity that are consistently explicitly prohibited within marriage are anal sex and sexual activity during
menstruation. However, the exact attitude towards oral sex is a subject of disagreements between modern scholars of Islam. Authorities considering it "objectionable" do so because of the penis's supposedly impure fluids coming in contact with the mouth. Others emphasize that there is no decisive evidence to forbid oral sex.
In
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
, fellatio is illegal, but the law is seldom enforced. Under Malaysia's Section 377A of the Penal Code, the introduction of the penis into the anus or mouth of another person is considered a "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and is punishable with imprisonment of 20 years maximum and whipping.
Tradition
Galienus called fellatio ''lesbiari'' since women of the island of
Lesbos were supposed to have introduced the practice of using one's lips to give sexual pleasure.
The
Ancient Indian
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ancient India:
Ancient India is the Indian subcontinent from prehistoric times to the start of Medieval India, which is typically dated (when the term is still used) to t ...
''
Kama Sutra'', dating from the first century AD, describes oral sex, discussing fellatio in great detail (the ''Kama Sutra'' has a chapter on (or ), "mouth congress")
and only briefly mentioning
cunnilingus. However, according to the ''Kama Sutra'', fellatio is above all a characteristic of
eunuchs (or, according to other translations, of
effeminate homosexuals or
trans women
A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and s ...
similar to the modern
Hijra of India), who use their mouths as a substitute for female
genitalia.
Vātsyāyana, the author of the ''Kama Sutra'', states that it is also practiced by "unchaste women", but mentions that there are widespread traditional concerns about this being a degrading or unclean practice, with known practitioners being evaded as love partners in large parts of the country. The author appears to somewhat agree with these attitudes, claiming that "a wise man" should not engage in that form of intercourse while acknowledging that it can be appropriate in some unspecified cases.
The
Moche culture of ancient
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
worshipped daily life including sexual acts. They depicted fellatio in their ceramics.
In some cultures, such as
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
,
Chinese in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
, northern
Manchu tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...
s along
Amur River,
Sambians in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Telugus of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
and other
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
s, briefly taking the penis of a male infant or toddler into one's mouth was considered a nonsexual form of affection or even a form of
ritual
A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...
,
greeting
Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between indi ...
,
respect, parenting love, or
lifesaving.
According to some sources, it was an ancient
Chinese custom for grandmothers, mothers, and elder sisters to calm their baby boys with fellatio. It has also been reported that some modern Chinese mothers have performed fellatio to their moribund sons as affection and means for lifesaving, because they culturally believe that when the penis is completely retracted into the abdomen, the boy or man will die.
Other animals
Flying foxes (a type of bat) have been observed engaging in oral sex.
[Sugita, N. (2016). Homosexual Fellatio: Erect Penis Licking between Male Bonin Flying Foxes Pteropus pselaphon. PLoS ONE, 11(11), e0166024.] Indian flying fox males will lick a female's vulva both before and after
copulation
Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetra ...
, with the length of pre-copulation cunnilingus positively correlated with length of copulation.
[Maruthupandian, J., & Marimuthu, G. (2013). Cunnilingus apparently increases duration of copulation in the Indian flying fox, Pteropus giganteus. PLoS ONE, 8(3), e59743.] The
fruit bat
Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera ( bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera '' Acerodon'' and '' Pteropus''— flying foxes. They are the only member of th ...
''
Cynopterus sphinx
The greater short-nosed fruit bat (''Cynopterus sphinx''), or short-nosed Indian fruit bat, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae found in South and Southeast Asia.
Description
These bats have a relatively long snout. Their upper p ...
'', has been observed to engage in fellatio during mating. Pairs spend more time copulating if the female licks the male than if she does not.
Male
Livingstone's fruit bat
Livingstone's fruit bat (''Pteropus livingstonii''), also called the Comoro flying fox, is a megabat in the genus ''Pteropus''. It is an Old World fruit bat found only in the Anjouan and Mohéli islands in the Union of the Comoros in the western ...
s have been observed engaging in
homosexual fellatio, although it is unknown if this is an example of sexual behavior or
social grooming.
[Courts, S. E. (1996). An ethogram of captive Livingstone's fruit bats Pteropus livingstonii in a new enclosure at Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust. DODO-JOURNAL OF THE WILDLIFE PRESERVATION TRUSTS, 32, 15-37.] Bonin flying fox
The Bonin flying fox, Bonin fruit bat (''Pteropus pselaphon''), or in Japanese is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to four islands (Chichijima, Hahajima, North Iwo Jima, and South Iwo Jima) in Ogasawara Isla ...
es also engage in homosexual fellatio, but the behavior has been observed independently of social grooming.
See also
*
Bukkake
is a sex act in which one participant is ejaculated on by multiple participants. It is often portrayed in pornographic films.
Bukkake videos are a relatively prevalent niche in contemporary pornographic films. Originating in Japan in the 198 ...
*
Cum shot
A cum shot is the depiction of human ejaculation, especially onto another person. The term is usually applied to depictions occurring in pornographic films, photographs, and magazines. Cum shots have become the object of fetish genres like buk ...
*
Cunnilingus
*
Facial (sexual act)
*
Fellatio in Halacha
*
Gokkun
*
Irrumatio
*
Pearl necklace (sexuality)
*
Steak and Blowjob Day
Steak and Blowjob Day (sometimes Steak & BJ Day or Steak and Knobber Day) is a satirical unofficial holiday created in the United States as a male response to Valentine's Day and celebrated a month later, on March 14. On the day, women are purpo ...
*
Teabagging
References
{{Authority control
Sexual acts
Penis
Articles containing video clips
Oral eroticism