What is anal sex?

Anal sex is the practice of inserting the penis, fingers, or a foreign object such as a vibrator into the anus for sexual pleasure. With the appropriate precautions, anal sex is mostly safe.
Anyone can enjoy anal sex, whether they are a man, woman, gay, bisexual or straight, and whether they are giving or receiving it. Although many gay men enjoy it, some prefer not to have penetrative anal sex. It is up to you to decide what you want to experiment with and to find out what you enjoy.

How do you have anal sex?

When you first explore the anal area it can feel strange, so before you begin make sure you and your partner have talked about it and are both happy to try it out. If you find you don’t like it, explain to your partner that anal sex isn’t for you.

If you decide to have penetrative anal sex, start slowly with touching and caressing to get used to the idea and make sure you are relaxed. This is important because there is a muscle in the anus (the sphincter) that needs to be relaxed to allow penetration to be comfortable. If you are giving anal sex, use plenty of lubricant and start by penetrating just a little and then pulling out completely. When your partner is ready, penetrate a bit further and then pull out again. Continue with this until you are fully in. Make sure you listen to your partner and understand how they feel – be prepared to stop at any time if they are uncomfortable or in pain.

Anal sex can feel stimulating and pleasurable for both the person giving and receiving - but it can also take a while to get used to how it feels. If it doesn’t go perfectly the first time you can always try again when you’re both in the mood. Remember that you can pause or stop whenever you want. Just because you have started something doesn’t mean you need to continue.

How do I stimulate a man's prostate gland?

Many men have nerve endings in their prostate as well as their anus, and they often enjoy having these stimulated. The prostate is between the bladder and the penis and can be stimulated with a finger or sex toy in the anus. However, there are lots of blood vessels in and around the prostate and it can get bruised if handled roughly, so treat it gently and use lots of lube.

Is anal sex painful?

For many people anal sex is a pleasurable part of their sex life. However, whether you are a man or a woman, penetrative anal sex can be uncomfortable or even painful if rushed, especially if it’s your first time.

Luckily, there are things you can do to reduce any pain. These include making sure you are relaxed, going slowly, using lots of water-based lubrication and working your way up to penetration with the penis with smaller objects such as fingers or sex toys.

Continual communication is the best way to make sure you both enjoy anal sex. If at any time you feel it is too uncomfortable or painful then you should stop immediately.

What are the risks of anal sex?

Yes, there are potential risks for anal sex. There main risks are as follows

Increased risk of bacterial infection -The anus lacks the cells that create the natural lubricant the vagina has. It also does not have the saliva of the mouth. The rectum’s lining is also thinner than that of the vagina.

Lack of lubrication and thinner tissues increase the risk of friction-related tears in the anus and rectum. Some of these tears may be very small, but they still expose the skin.
Because stool that naturally contains bacteria passes through the rectum and anus when leaving the body, the bacteria can potentially invade the skin through these tears.
This increases the risk of anal abscesses, a deep skin infection that usually requires treatment with antibiotics.

Increased risk of STIs Because anal sex can lead to bacterial infections in the ways we mention above, it also increases the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including chlamydia, genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhoea, HIV and syphilis. However, there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your partner. To minimize the risk of STI transmission, a person should wear a condom during anal sex. They should also pay attention to the type of lubricant they use, as oil-based lubricants such as petroleum jelly can damage latex condoms. Water-based lubricants are safer to use with condoms.

Worsen hemorrhoids-Hemorrhoids are areas of blood vessels inside and outside of the rectum that can cause itching, slight bleeding, and sometimes pain.While hemorrhoids can be unpleasant and painful, they are easily treated and very preventable.Anal sex can irritate existing hemorrhoids for some people. However, anal sex itself is not likely to cause hemorrhoids if a person did not already have them.It is not always possible to prevent irritating hemorrhoids while having anal sex, but using sufficient lubricant can help minimize the irritation.

Pregnancy -Technically, it’s not possible to get pregnant from anal sex as there’s no way for semen to get from inside the anus to the vagina, but there is a small chance of semen leaking out and dripping into the vagina after anal sex. Using condoms is the best way to make sure you are always protected properly against STIs and pregnancy.

How to reduce the risks

To minimize these risks, a person should take some precautions to prevent the skin from tearing:
1. Use a water-based lubricant to minimize friction-related tears.
2. Change condoms if moving from anal to vaginal sex to avoid introducing different bacterial forms to each.
3. Move slowly until a person establishes enough lubrication.
4. Slow or stop anal sex if a person experiences pain or discomfort.
5. To minimize the risk of STI transmission, a person should wear a condom during anal sex. 
6. Clean gently – Some people clean their anus before anal sex because they want to be sure there is no faeces (poo). If you decide to do this, only use water or a mild soap and be very gentle, otherwise you might damage, tear or scratch the anus putting you at some risks.

Using spermicides can also increase the risk of anal irritation. People should avoid them during anal sex.

Should I have anal sex?

No doubt anal sex will bring a different experience of sex orgasm. That's what we are trying to look for. And there are also health benefits to be had when it comes to any type of sexual activity, like stress relief, reduced inflammation, pain reduction, improved circulation, better skin etc. Anal sex also has other health benefits. For instance, prostate stimulation may help prevent and treat erectile dysfunction (ED), prostatitis, and painful ejaculation.

As with any type of sex, it’s important that both people want to have anal sex and that no one feels pressured or forced into doing anything they don’t want to do. Talk to your partner about protection before you start having anal sex. Remember that having unprotected anal sex puts you and your partner at higher risk of HIV and other STIs than other sexual activities. Being safe will help you both feel more relaxed and make sex more enjoyable.

Deciding whether to have anal sex is a very personal thing. The main things to consider are whether it feels right, and whether you and your partner are both sure.