23 Titillating Facts about Oral Sex

By Madeline Thatcher, Associate Writer

Published January 12, 2019Updated August 12, 2024

Oral sex is a general term for stimulation of the genitals with the mouth. “Fellatio” is oral sex that stimulates a penis, and “cunnilingus” is oral sex that stimulates the vagina._[1]
The word “fellatio” comes from the Latin word for “suck.”_[1]
Some biologists believe that oral sex may have helped the evolutionary process, since sexual pleasure between mates helped early humans choose better partners._[1]
In Egyptian mythology, the goddess Isis revived her dead brother Osiris by sucking his penis. It is one of the oldest depictions of oral sex in the world._[10]
Ancient Romans and their neighbors were also familiar with oral sex. When archeologists uncovered the ruined city of Pompeii, they found murals depicting the act in the city’s bathhouses._[10]
One of the oldest texts on sexual positions, the Indian Kamasutra, gives several examples of fellatio._[10]

The Kamasutra is one of the oldest how-tos for sexual escapades

In Medieval Europe, oral sex was banned because it was considered “unnatural,” since it could not lead to procreation. Those found guilty of cunnilingus were given four years' penance for their sin, while those who committed fellatio were given five._[10]
Oral sex has earned a lot of nicknames over the past few centuries, including “goop-gobbler,” “whistling in the dark,” and “going way down south in Dixie.”_[10]
The most popular nickname for oral sex—“blow job”—originated in the 1940s, first appearing in a “Tijuana Bible,” a popular comic book that depicted sexual acts._[10]
It is estimated that over 85% of sexually active adults in the United States between 18-44 have had oral sex at least once with a partner of the opposite sex._[8]

Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is.

- Barbara Bush

There’s a gender divide when it comes to receiving and giving oral sex—women reported higher numbers of giving oral sex, and men said they were on the receiving end more often._[5]
The older men get, the more likely they are to perform oral sex on their partners, and guys who orally pleasure their partners are healthier than those who don’t._[1]

Lots of things happen in high school, including oral sex

A large percentage of teens—over half—believe that oral sex doesn’t count as “real sex,” instead considering penetration the only true way to lose one’s virginity._[7]
Men have more oral sex partners than women._[3]
White men and women are the most active oral sex participants._[2]
White men perform oral sex earlier than all other demographic groups, at an average age of nineteen years old._[2]
Men who are more likely to cheat on their partners are more interested in and spend more time performing oral sex. The same is not true for women._[5]
Women often cannot orgasm with penetrative sex alone; higher rates of orgasm occur in women whose partners perform cunnilingus._[5]
Higher rates of the HPV16 infection are directly related to the number of oral sex partners a person has. Because men have more partners, they are seven times more likely to contract the virus._[2]
Performing fellatio or cunnilingus on someone with the HPV virus has been linked to increased risk for throat and mouth cancer._[9]
Eating certain foods can’t really change the taste of semen or vaginal discharge but specific overall diets might._[6]

Bonobo chimps and humans share over 90% of their DNA (among other things!)

Humans aren’t the only species that performs oral sex—Chinese fruit bats, bonobo chimpanzees, cheetahs, tigers, and black bears also engage in pleasuring one another orally._[4]
There has been one reported case of pregnancy from oral sex—a young woman with no vagina was stabbed in the stomach just after performing fellatio on her boyfriend. The sperm traveled through her damaged intestinal tract and into her reproductive organs, and a healthy baby was born via C-section nine months later._[6]