Health risks of cunnilingus

Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed by a person on a female's genitalia (the clitoris, other parts of the vulva or the vagina). The clitoris is the most sexually sensitive part of the human female genitalia, and its stimulation may result in female sexual arousal or orgasm.

Cunnilingus can be sexually arousing for participants and may be performed by a sexual partner as foreplay to incite sexual arousal before other sexual activities (such as vaginal or anal intercourse) or as an erotic and physically intimate act on its own. Like most forms of sexual activity, oral sex can be a risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs/STDs). However, the transmission risk for oral sex, especially HIV transmission, is significantly lower than for vaginal or anal sex.

Oral sex is often regarded as taboo, but most countries do not have laws which ban the practice. Commonly, heterosexual couples do not regard cunnilingus as affecting the virginity of either partner, while lesbian couples commonly do regard it as a form of virginity loss. People may also have negative feelings or sexual inhibitions about giving or receiving cunnilingus or may refuse to engage in it.

The term cunnilingus is derived from the Latin words for the vulva () and the verb "to lick" (). Additionally, there are numerous slang terms for cunnilingus, including drinking from the furry cup,carpet munching, and . Several common slang terms used are giving lip, , or tipping the velvet; this last is an expression that novelist Sarah Waters argues that she "plucked from the relative obscurity of Victorian porn". It is also popularly known in the urban community as dining at the Y or DATY. A person who performs cunnilingus may be referred to as a cunnilinguist.

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