Scarleteen

Hello -

I still don’t have a partner, but I know what kind of sex I am interested in. I’m really curious about oral sex because it sounds appealing (I’ve never had any kind of sex before) and there’s no pregnancy risks.

But I feel like there’s this idea out there that says you’re not supposed to use a condom for when a guy gets oral sex because it won’t feel as good. But like…is that really true or is that just a myth? Because I wanna feel pleasure but also don’t wanna put my partner at risk of anything.

I’m also interested in performing cunnilingus on a girl and am aware that it’s very common not to use dental dams.

I am just confused because obviously these barriers exist for reasons, but people tend to act like you still shouldn’t use them in certain cases (like oral sex).

Mainly, I’m just looking for some insight on how true (or not true) this myth is about oral sex not feeling good enough with barriers. Hope this makes sense!

Hey Eli!

Condoms and dental dams are awesome! They are super effective at preventing the transmission of STIs. It is definitely not true that oral sex won't feel good with barriers-- it can still feel awesome! Research actually shows that typically when people think about condoms/dental damns in a negative way (they decrease pleasure, they ruin the moment, etc) it actually makes sex with those barrier methods less pleasurable. Their mindset completely alters their experience! But people who feel neutrally or even positively about using barrier methods still experience intimacy, closeness, and pleasure. So get excited! Yay condoms and dental dams!

The most important thing is that you and your partner are communicating about how everything feels. You can definitely have an amazing time even using barriers.

If you'd like to read more about different types of barrier methods, check out our guide here:
All the Barriers! All the Time!

Sounds good, thank you so much Becky! I’ll let you know if I have any more questions