Q. I am a 24-year-old man working in a 9-6 job. I have been dating this woman who is 7 years older than me. While this is my first relationship, it is not the first time my girlfriend has been in a relationship. She loves it when I go down on her and I do try to perform my best. However, I am afraid that I might catch an STD by giving her oral sex. She had earlier had a type of STD, however, she said she had taken medication and got cured of it. We haven't had intercourse yet because I am really afraid that I might catch some kind of STD. What should I do? Sex Query of the Week: Can You Get Pregnant If You Have Unprotected Sex During Periods?

Ans. You did the right thing by delaying intercourse. Unless the two of you undergo STD tests, there's no way to say whether your partner is in the clear or not. Please note that STDs and other infections can be spread through oral sex too.  Many factors can play a role in the spread of STDs through oral sex: the type of STD, the type of sexual acts, how common the STD is the number of sexual acts performed.

You can get STDs in the mouth and throat from giving oral sex to someone who has a genital, anal or rectal infection. Giving oral sex to a man with an infected penis or a woman with an infected vagina or urethra may result in STDs in the throat.

You can also get STDs from a partner who has an infection in and around the mouth and throat (herpes simplex) if he or she performs oral sex on you. It's also possible for a person to have more than one STD (throat, mouth and genitals).

STDs can also be transmitted through oral sex, which can spread across the body of the person.  In some people, the STDs show no signs. STDs can also be spread to a person when the infected partner shows no signs of symptoms.

Sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, herpes, HPV, HIV and trichomoniasis can be spread through oral sex.  However, there's no way to say whether actual sex is safer than oral sex with respect to STDs.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2019 05:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).