Contrary to widespread belief, teenagers do not appear to commonly engage in oral sex as a way to preserve their virginity, according to the first study to examine the question nationally.The analysis of a federal survey of more than 2,200 males and females aged 15 to 19, released yesterday, found that more than half reported having had oral sex. But those who described themselves as virgins were far less likely to say they had tried it than those who had had intercourse.
“There’s a popular perception that teens are engaging in serial oral sex as a strategy to avoid vaginal intercourse, a private, nonprofit research organization based in New York, who helped do the study. “Our research suggests that’s a mis perception.”