Tongue kissing, also known as French kissing, helps you to express affection and love in romantic relationships. That feeling of intertwining tongues feels quite stimulating, no? It’s because of the sensual connection created after the release of Dopamine, Oxytocin, and several other happy hormones when you pull your lover in your arms for a tongue kiss (1). But can tongue kissing cause pregnancy?
Kissing your partner can give you butterflies, but you may also be worried if it can lead to pregnancy which you were not planning for. Let’s dig deeper into the topic to know what factors you must consider before kissing your partner passionately.
In This Article
- Is Tongue Kissing Safe?
- Can Tongue Kissing Cause Pregnancy?
- Safety Measures to Take While Tongue Kissing
- When Should You Not Consider Tongue Kissing?
- FAQ’s
Is Tongue Kissing Safe?
Tongue kissing, in general, is safe when both of you are perfectly healthy and up for it (consensual). But, if you have oral health issues, illnesses like flu, gum diseases, or cuts inside your mouth, you better wait because there will be a slight risk of bacteria or virus transmission.
Can Tongue Kissing Cause Pregnancy?
If you think it can get you pregnant from a tongue kiss, relax! Biologically speaking, tongue kissing cannot get you pregnant. For pregnancy, a sperm needs to fertilize an egg through sexual intercourse (2).
During kissing, there is an exchange of saliva (3), and no such occurrence of sperm getting transferred to the female reproductive system. Therefore, tongue kissing cannot cause pregnancy.
Safety Measures to Take While Tongue-Kissing
Tongue kissing is more than just a sweet gesture. It is an act to express intimacy. But you must consider a couple of things before engaging in tongue kissing. It is better to prioritize the health and comfort of yourself and your partner and understand the potential risks.
Here are a few things you must consider before tongue-kissing your partner.
1. Oral Hygiene
If you and your partner have good oral hygiene, that can significantly minimize the risk of spreading bacteria. Therefore, don’t forget to brush your teeth, use mouthwash, and floss. Best part? You don’t have to worry about having a bad breath.
2. Oral-health Issues And Illness
Most of the time, you do not pay much attention to oral health issues, but when you want to have a tongue kiss, discourage this practice because tongue kisses can increase the risk of spreading infection. The same goes if you or your partner have the flu!
3. Awareness of STDs
Tongue kissing is generally taken as a low-risk activity, but there can be certain STDs like herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and human papillomavirus (HPV), which can be transmitted through saliva (4). So, be careful because it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
4. Communication
Don’t downplay the need for communication! For intimate actions, mutual understanding and communication play a significant role. Frankly express your preferences and concerns with your partner before anything. You will notice an increase in the level of comfort and pleasure.
5. Respect Boundaries
Possibly, this is the most common advice you have heard from your peers in a relationship: respect the boundaries of your partner. While tongue kissing is a beautiful way of stimulation and foreplay, there are chances that your partner does not feel comfortable with this.
Therefore, you must respect your partner’s boundaries when they express discomfort or ask you to stop.
When Should You Not Consider Tongue Kissing?
Though you can kiss your partner whenever you want to express how much you love them, there are a couple of instances you might like to avoid tongue kissing. If you or your partner suffer from any disease, including cold, gum disease, or other oral health issues, you should keep the kiss for some other time.
Tongue kissing is a fabulous way of increasing intimacy and sexual arousal. But, it is essential to consider whether you or your partner is becoming uncomfortable. Please remember, in the case of sexual intimacy, consent, and open communication are the keys to exploring the activities that both you and your partner will enjoy.
FAQ’s
1. Does Kissing Breasts Cause Pregnancy?
Kissing breasts can only cause arousal and not pregnancy. For a woman to get pregnant, it requires sperm cells to reach the vagina. In this case, there is no direct contact between a woman’s vagina and a man’s penis. It is not biologically possible to get pregnant through breast kissing.
2. Can Sperm Transfer Through Kissing?
Sperm cannot be transferred through kissing; a man’s sperm is only released through their penis, and it takes sexual intercourse to get pregnant. When kissing, there is no contact between penis and vagina, and therefore sperm cannot be transferred through kissing.
3. Can Physical Touch Cause Pregnancy?
While physical touch is an excellent way of showing affection to your partner, it is not very likely to get pregnant from physical touch. For a woman to get pregnant, there needs to be a direct contact between the penis of a man and the vagina of the woman.
4. Can Kissing With Clothes on Cause Pregnancy?
If the sperm gets to a woman’s vagina from her partner’s clothes, hands, or any other external object, it is not very likely that the sperm will pass through the fallopian tubes and get the woman pregnant. Therefore, it is unlikely for a woman to get pregnant while kissing with clothes on.
References
- What’s in a kiss? The science of smooching | British Council – [https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/kiss-science-smooching]
- Can I Get Pregnant from…? | UNM Health Blog | Albuquerque, New Mexico – [https://unmhealth.org/stories/2022/03/what-causes-pregnancy-tips-prevent-unexpected-pregnancies.html]
- Shaping the oral microbiota through intimate kissing | Microbiome – [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/2049-2618-2-41]
- Viral Diseases Transmissible by Kissing – PMC – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7150091/]
