Education - Anal Intercourse

Anal Intercourse

Anal sex is one of the most taboo forms of sexual play commonly practiced. Long a source of societal shame and discomfort, many people feel the anus is off-limits so it's embarrassing for some people to admit they like having their anus touched or stimulated. But there's really no reason to be embarrassed. Anal play has long been a part of sexual practice for over a third of Americans, including homosexual and heterosexual men and women, both partnered and alone. Most people don't realize that anal intercourse is the least practiced form of anal play; stimulation with fingers, toys and tongues is far more common, partly because the prostate, the rectum and the rim of the anus are all rich sources of nerve endings. Gentle stimulation of these areas can be very pleasurable.

Anal Play
Once you're both comfortable with the idea, start slowly. Try different kinds of lubrications and find one you both like. Then start with gentle touching. If you feel uncomfortable or tense, stop for a few minutes and try to relax until you're ready to experiment further. Many people enjoy having a finger slowly inserted into their anus. Your partner might try twirling his or her finger just inside the sphincter muscles, or a gentle shunting motion in and out of the anus. You might want to progress to rimming, a form or oral sex performed on the anus, or experimentation with dildos and other anal toys. Always use lots of lubrication and never insert anything into your anus that doesn't have a flared end -- the last thing you want is a trip to the emergency room!

Anal Toys
Anal sex can be enjoyed in various forms by both men and women of all sexual orientations. If you're afraid to broach the subject with your partner, you're not alone: many people don't find the courage to experiment with anal play until well into their sexual lives. However, you might consider taking a deep breath and blurting out your interest in anal play. Who knows? Your partner may have been secretly longing to tell you of his or her own interest! At the worst, you may feel some embarrassment. At best, you'll discover a new experience that will stimulate you and maybe even enrich your sex life. You may also find that you just don't care for anal sex. That's fine too. Anal sex isn't for everyone! At Intimate Delights / Planet Delights, we are firm believers in trying everything once. So try it and see if you like it. If not, you don't ever have to do it again. But if you do find that you like anal play, consider adding some anal dildos (also called butt plugs), beads or vibrating anal toys to your pleasure chest. Toys can add a distinctive touch to your anal pleasures!

In the age of AIDS, anal sex has received a lot of bad press -and for good reason. Unprotected anal intercourse is the single most risky behavior in terms of exposure to the dread disease. It bears mentioning, however, that if neither you nor your partner is already infected with HYV (human immuno-deficiency virus), you cannot get AIDS from anal sex. This may seem self-evident, but in a nationwide sex survey conducted by the Kinsey Institute, half of the American adults questioned said they thought you could get AIDS through anal intercourse, whether or not one partner was infected. This is simply not true.

What is true is that having anal intercourse with an infected partner, without using a condom, is the kind of sex behavior most likely to transmit AIDS. That's probably because the sensitive lining of the rectum is likely to tear during intercourse, allowing AIDS affected blood or semen to pass directly into a sex partner's bloodstream. In fact, the evidence for this mode of AIDS transmission is so clear-and AIDS itself is so scary-that doctors now recommend against having anal sex with anybody, under any circumstances.

If you insist on trying it anyway, take two precautions: The vagina is naturally elastic and moistened by its own natural lubricants, but the rectum is not. Therefore, before attempting anal penetration, it's important to use a lubricant. Also, before entering the vagina after anal intercourse, be sure to thoroughly wash the penis. Otherwise, it’s likely to transfer bacteria from the rectum, which may cause vaginal infections.