Anal sex

]] Anal sex (or anal intercourse) commonly refers to the sex act involving insertion of the penis into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anal–oral sex, fingering, and object insertion. which may be due to psychological factors in some cases. and thus safe sex practices are advised. Anal sex is considered a high-risk sexual practice, and unprotected anal sex is the riskiest of all forms of sexual intercourse, "The opening and closing of the anus is controlled by the internal and external sphincter muscles (the most important muscles when engaging in anal sex). The sphincter muscle is a sensitive membrane with many nerve endings and thus the source of pleasure or pain."

In a male receiving partner, being penetrated can produce a pleasurable sensation due to the inserted penis rubbing or brushing against the prostate (also known as the "male G-Spot", "P-Spot" or "A-Spot") through the anal wall. This can result in pleasurable sensations and can lead to an orgasm in some cases. male homologue to the Skene's glands, which are believed to be connected to the female "G-Spot".

The Skene's glands are sometimes referred to as the "female prostate"; they are located around the urethra and can be felt through the wall of the vagina. However, research reports most women only being able to achieve orgasm through clitoral stimulation. The clitoris, termed "the key" to women's sexual pleasure, surrounds the vagina somewhat like a horseshoe and has over 6,000 nerve fibers. The Gräfenberg spot, or G-Spot, a small area behind the female pubic bone surrounding the urethra and accessible through the anterior wall of the vagina, is considered to have legs in relation to the clitoris which may also be accessible through anal penetration. Stimulation of the clitoris or G-Spot, or both, during anal sex may help some women to enjoy the experience.

Anal sex is often portrayed as "quite normal" in pornography, but according to Go Ask Alice! and other researchers, it occurs "much less frequently" than other sexual behaviors. The increase of anal activity among heterosexual couples may be linked to anal pornography, wherein it is presented—debatably—as routine and painless. For men, anal sex can yield great tactile pleasure via the penis, as the anus is usually tighter than the vagina.

While each person's sphincter muscles react to penetration differently, Ensuring that the anal area is clean and the bowel is empty, for both aesthetics and practicality, is also advised.

In a study of hetero anal sex (8/2010 (n=214)), female participants stated that stimulation to multiple erogenous zones simultaneously (the clitoris, the G-Spot, the anus, and other erogenous zones) enabled the woman to enjoy anal intercourse with much less discomfort compared to anal penetration by itself. Women who had orgasms during anal sex reported that an orgasm during anal sex was more of a full-body experience than an orgasm from just clitoral stimulation. At the same time, this act is held to carry a very low risk of unwanted pregnancy when not accompanied with vaginal intercourse, as anal intercourse cannot lead to pregnancy unless sperm is somehow transported to the vaginal opening in the process; in some populations, this activity is frequently used as a means of contraception, often in the absence of a condom.

The risk of injury to the receptive partner due to anal intercourse is many times higher than that due to vaginal sex. Also, the risk for transmission of HIV is higher for anal sex than for vaginal sex. Experts caution couples engaging in this practice to take steps to prevent damage to the rectal area, such as lubrication and also the use of protection, such as condoms, to stop the transmission of STDs.

Female virginity

Male-to-female anal sex is sometimes seen as preserving female virginity because, in addition to its non-procreative nature, it leaves the hymen intact. Among sexually active heterosexuals, the concept of "technical virginity", which includes oral sex and mutual masturbation, is conceived as resting solely on penile-vaginal penetration. Since the early 1990s, "technical virginity" has been popular among teenagers. In terms of overall numbers of survey respondents, seven times as many women as gay men said that they engaged in anal intercourse, with this figure reflecting the larger heterosexual population size. According to the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), although anal intercourse is reported by fewer women than other partnered sex behaviors, partnered women in the age groups between 18-49 are significantly more likely to report having anal sex in the past 90 days.

In a 2007 report entitled Prevalence and Correlates of Heterosexual Anal and Oral Sex in Adolescents and Adults in the United States, published in the Journal of Infectious Disease, a national survey of Family Growth found that 34% men and 30% women reported ever participating in heterosexual anal sex. The percentage of participants reporting heterosexual anal sex was significantly higher among 20- to 24-year-olds and peaked among 30- to 34-year-olds. Another survey in, 2008, focused on a much younger demographic of teenagers and young adults, aged 15–21. It found that 16% of 1350 surveyed had had this type of sex in the previous 3 months, with condoms being used 29% of the time. However, given the subject matter, the survey hypothesized the prevalence was probably underestimated.

In 2009, Kimberly R. McBride published a clinical report in The Journal of Sex Research which stated that changing norms may affect the frequency of heterosexual anal sex behaviors and suggests that there is a role for the exotic in the sexual repertoires of some heterosexuals" "[F]or a certain number of heterosexuals, anal intercourse is pleasurable, exciting, and perhaps considered more intimate than vaginal sex...". McBride and her colleagues investigated the prevalence of non-intercourse anal sex behaviors among a sample of men (n=1,299) and women (n=1,919) compared to anal intercourse experience and found that 51% of men and 43% of women had participated in at least one act of oral–anal sex, manual–anal sex, or anal sex toy use. McBride and Janssen found that the majority of men (n=631) and women (n=856) who reported heterosexual anal intercourse in the past 12 months were in exclusive, monogamous relationships: 69% and 73%, respectively. In contrast, in a 1999 South Korean survey of 586 women, 3.5% of respondents reported having had this type of sex.

Figures for the prevalence of sexual behavior can also fluctuate over time. Edward O. Laumann's 1992 survey, reported in The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States, found that about 20% of heterosexuals had engaged in male-to-female anal sex. Sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, working in the 1940s, had found that number to be closer to 40% at the time. More recently, a researcher from the University of British Columbia in 2005 put the number of heterosexuals who have engaged in this practice at between 30% and 50%. According to Columbia University's health website Go Ask Alice!: "Studies indicate that about 25 percent of heterosexual couples have had anal sex at least once, and 10 percent regularly have anal penetration."

Female to male (pegging)

Pegging is a sexual practice in which a woman penetrates a man's anus with a strap-on dildo. Advice columnist Dan Savage wrote that he believes all men should try pegging at least once, as it may introduce them to a new enjoyable sexual activity and illuminate them to the receiver's perspective in sex. A few instructional movies and books have emerged in recent years, including Bend Over Boyfriend, produced by Fatale Media, Inc., and directed by Shar Rednour, SIR Video co-founder. As an accomplished author of numerous sex guides and informational books on various sexual taboos, Violet Blue wrote and released The Adventurous Couple's Guide to Strap-On Sex in 2007.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), with information published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), states that, "There are little published data on how many heterosexual men would like their anus to be sexually stimulated in a heterosexual relationship," but that, "Anecdotally, it is a substantial number. What data we do have almost all relate to penetrative sexual acts, and the superficial contact of the anal ring with fingers or the tongue is even less well documented but may be assumed to be a common sexual activity for men of all sexual orientations.

Homosexual

Male to male

and Antinous, by Paul Avril]] Historically, anal sex has been commonly associated with male homosexuality. However, many gay men, or men who have sex with men in general, do not engage in anal sex. Among men who have anal sex with other men, the insertive partner is called the top and the one being penetrated is called the bottom. Those who enjoy either role are referred to as versatile. Gay men who prefer anal sex may view it as "[their] version of intercourse"

Some men who have sex with men prefer to engage in frot or other forms of mutual masturbation because they find it more pleasurable and/or more affectionate, to preserve technical virginity, or as safe sex alternatives to anal sex, while other frot advocates denounce anal sex as degrading to the receptive partner and unnecessarily risky.

Prevalence

The prevalence of anal sex among homosexual couples in the West has varied over time. Magnus Hirschfeld, in his 1914 work, The Homosexuality of Men and Women, reported the rate of anal sex among homosexual men surveyed to be 8%, the least favored of all the practices documented. Likewise, some scholars state that oral sex and mutual masturbation are more common than anal stimulation among gay men in long-term relationships,

By the 1950s in the United Kingdom, it was thought that about fifteen percent of male homosexuals had anal sex. More recent studies, The Gay Urban Men's Study (P.I. Stall, UCSF) and the Young Men's Study (YMS, PI Osmond/Catania, UCSF), indicate that 50% of the surveyed men who have sex with men engage in anal sex. The 1994 Laumann study suggests that 80% of gay men practice it and 20% never engage in it at all.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), with information published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), states that two thirds of gay men have anal sex.

Pain

Pain during receptive anal sex is formally known as anodyspareunia. Another study that examined pain during insertive and receptive anal sex in gay men found that 3% of tops (insertive partners) and 16% of bottoms (receptive partners) reported significant pain. Factors predictive of pain during anal sex include inadequate lubrication, feeling tense or anxious, lack of stimulation, as well as lack of social ease with being gay and being closeted. Research has found that psychological factors can in fact be the primary contributors to the experience of pain during anal intercourse and that adequate communication between sexual partners can prevent it, countering the notion that pain is always inevitable during anal sex.

Female to female

on another woman.]] There is less research on anal sexuality in the lesbian community, and among women who have sex with women in general, as compared to couples of other sexual orientations, but stimulating the anus for sexual pleasure is stated to be a part of many lesbians' sex lives; the anus can be rimmed — the tongue moved around its edge — stroked or penetrated with the fingers or a dildo. There are lesbians who like anal sex and others "who cannot bear the thought of it." In 1987, a non-scientific study (Munson) was conducted of more than 100 members of a lesbian social organization in Colorado. When asked what techniques they used in their last 10 sexual encounters, 100% reported kissing, sucking on breasts, and manual stimulation of the clitoris; more than 90% reported French kissing, oral sex, and fingers inserted into the vagina; and 80% reported tribadism. Lesbians in their 30s were twice as likely as other age groups to engage in anal stimulation (with a finger or dildo).

Health risks

General

Anal sex exposes participants to two principal dangers: infections, due to the high number of infectious microorganisms not found elsewhere on the body, and physical damage to the anus and the rectum due to their vulnerability. It is generally understood that penetration can be painful.

Experts say that as social mores ease, more young heterosexuals are engaging in anal sex, a behavior once rarely mentioned in polite circles. And the experimentation, they worry, may be linked to the current increase in sexually transmitted diseases.

Anal sex carries with it a much greater risk of passing on sexually transmitted diseases than vaginal sex, as the anal sphincter is delicate tissue and the chances of a small tear occurring are much higher, which also provides more opportunity for diseases. Judy Kuriansky, a Columbia University professor and author, stated, "It really is shocking how many myths young people have about anal sex. They don't think you can get a disease from it because you're not having [vaginal] intercourse." Anal sex without the use of a condom is often referred to as barebacking.

HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases

.]] Among the diseases with which anal sex is associated are HIV, human papilloma virus (HPV) (which can increase risk for anal cancer), or typhoid fever. Among these are: amoebiasis; chlamydia; cryptosporidiosis; E. coli infections; giardiasis; gonorrhea; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; hepatitis C; herpes simplex; human papillomavirus; Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (HHV-8); lymphogranuloma venereum; Mycoplasma hominis; Mycoplasma genitalium; pubic lice; salmonellosis; shigella; syphilis; tuberculosis; and Ureaplasma urealyticum.

The high concentration of white blood cells around the rectum, together with the risk of cuts to the rectum and that one of the functions of the rectum is to absorb fluid, increases the risk of HIV transmission because the HIV retrovirus reproduces within the immune system's T-cells/CD4 cells. Use of condoms and other precautions are a medically recommended way to lessen risk of infections. Unprotected receptive anal sex is the most risky sexual behavior in terms of HIV transmission.

Increased risk of anal cancer

Anal cancer is relatively rare, accounting for about 1 percent of gastrointestinal malignancies, but as many as 4,000 new cases can be diagnosed within a year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Most cases of anal cancer are related to infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV). Damage is more likely to occur if intercourse is forcible or aggressive or if alcohol or other drugs have dulled sensitivity.

Loss of control over the bowels, though rare according to some, is thought to be a valid concern and is reported to be caused by repeated injury, or by the insertion of large objects, or simply by regular anal sex, which "leads to internal sphincter dilation and soiling."

A 1993 study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine found that fourteen out of a sample of forty men receiving anal intercourse experienced episodes of frequent anal incontinence. However, a 1997 study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found no difference in levels of incontinence between homosexual men who engaged in anal sex and heterosexual men who did not, and criticized the earlier study for its inclusion of flatulence in its definition of incontinence.

Dr. Jack Morin recommended kegel exercises to prevent loss of muscle tone from anal fisting or insertion of large objects in a presentation of clinical aspects of anal sexuality, delivered at the 1998 joint conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and the American Association of Sex Educators. He added, however, that he had never personally observed "loosening" in any of his patients.

Cultural issues

print depicting an older and a younger man]] Historically, a number of cultures have recorded the practice of anal intercourse between men.

Ancient and non-Western cultures

The term "Greek love" has long been used to refer to the practice, and in modern times, "doing it the Greek way" is sometimes used as slang for anal sex. However, homosexual anal sex was far from a universally accepted practice in Ancient Greece. It was the target of jokes in surviving comedies; Aristophanes mockingly alludes to the practice, claiming that "Most citizens are europroktoi (wide-arsed) now." While pedagogic pederasty was an essential element in the education of male youths, these relationships, at least in Athens and Sparta, were expected to steer clear of penetrative sex of any kind. There are very few works of pottery or other art that display anal sex between older men and boys, let alone with adult men. Most such works depict fondling or intercrural sex, which was not condemned for violating and feminizing the boys. Other sources make it clear that the practice was criticized as shameful, and seen as a form of hubris. males on the Warren Cup, British Museum]]

In later Roman-era Greek poetry, anal sex became a common topos, represented as taking place with "eligible" youths: those who had attained the proper age but had not yet become adults. Seducing children into the practice was considered very shameful for the adult, and having such relations with a male who was no longer adolescent was considered more shameful for the young male than for the one mounting him. Greek courtesans, or hetaerae, are said to have frequently practiced heterosexual anal intercourse as a means of preventing pregnancy. The acceptability of anal sex thus varied with the time-period and the location, as Ancient Greece spanned a long time and stretched over three continents and two major seas.

For a male citizen to take the passive (or receptive) role in anal intercourse was condemned in Rome as an act of impudicitia (immodesty or unchastity). Free men, however, frequently took the active role with a young slave, known as a catamite or puer delicatus. In fact the Romans thought of anal sex as something specifically "Greek," although Roman men often availed themselves of their own slaves or others in this way.

In Japan, records (including detailed shunga) show that at least some men in relationships with other men did engage in penetrative anal intercourse. Culture. 300 C.E. Larco Museum Collection]]

Evidence suggestive of widespread heterosexual anal intercourse in a pre-modern culture can be found in the erotic vases, or stirrup-spout pots, made by the Moche people of Peru; in a survey of a collection of these pots, it was found that 31 percent of them depicted heterosexual anal intercourse, more by far than any other sex act. Moche pottery of this type belonged to the world of the dead, which was believed to be a reversal of life. Thus the reverse of common practices was often portrayed. The Larco Museum houses an Erotic Gallery in which this pottery is showcased.

The 19th century anthropologist Richard Francis Burton theorized that there is a geographical Sotadic zone wherein penetrative intercourse between men is particularly prevalent and accepted; moreover he was one of the first writers to advance the premise that such an orientation is biologically determined.

Western cultures

In many Western countries, anal sex has generally been taboo since the Middle Ages when heretical movements were sometimes attacked by accusations that their members practised anal sex among themselves. At that time the mainstream Christian clergy was not celibate, but the highest orders of some heretical sects were, leading to rumours that their celibacy was a sign of their attraction to members of the same sex. The term buggery originated in medieval Europe as an insult used to describe the rumoured same-sex sexual practices of the heretics from a sect originating in Bulgaria, where its followers were called bogomils; when they spread out of the country they were called buggres (from the ethnonym Bulgars). Another term for the practice, more archaic, is "pedicate" from the Latin pedicare, with the same meaning.

The Renaissance poet Pietro Aretino advocated the practice in his Sonetti Lussuriosi (Lust Sonnets).

While men who engaged in homosexual relationships were generally suspected of engaging in anal sex, many such individuals did not. Among these, in recent times, have been André Gide, who found it repulsive; and Noel Coward, who had a horror of disease, and asserted when young that "I'd never do anything – well the disgusting thing they do – because I know I could get something wrong with me."

In religion

, Sodomites provoking divine wrath, from Le pot-pourri (1781)]] Within the Abrahamic religions, anal sex is often condemned under the rubric of "sodomy", which could include various other transgressions of a sexual nature, whether with men, women or animals. This idea is vividly brought to life in the popular interpretation of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the people were prone to sexual immorality, and as a result were destroyed. There are conflicting views as to why Sodom was destroyed.

Judaism

Orthodox Jewish rabbis generally believe that anal sex is a form of sodomy, grouped in with other sexual infractions, whether with men, women, or animals.

Christianity

In Christian countries, it has often been referred to euphemistically as the peccatum contra naturam (the sin against nature, after Thomas Aquinas) or Sodomitica luxuria (sodomitical lusts, in one of Charlemagne's ordinances), or peccatum illud horribile, inter christianos non nominandum (that horrible sin that among Christians is not to be named).

Islam

Liwat, or the sin of Lot's people, is officially prohibited by most Islamic sects. There are parts of the Qur'an which talk about smiting on Sodom and Gomorrah, and this is thought to be a reference to unnatural sex, and so there are hadith and Islamic laws which prohibit it. Same sex male practitioners of anal relations are called luti or lutiyinin plural and are seen as criminals in the same way that a thief is a criminal, meaning that they are giving in to a universal temptation.

Buddhism

The most common formulation of Buddhist ethics is the Five Precepts. These precepts take the form of voluntary, personal undertakings, not divine mandate or instruction. The third of the Precepts is "To refrain from committing sexual misconduct." However, "sexual misconduct" (Sanskrit: Kāmesu micchācāra literally "sense gratifications arising from the 5 senses"") is subject to interpretation relative to the social norms of the followers. In fact, Buddhism, in its fundamental form, does not define what is right and what is wrong in absolute terms for lay followers. Therefore the interpretation of what kinds of sexual activity are acceptable for a layman is not a religious matter as far as Buddhism is concerned.

Buddhism teaches that sensual enjoyment and desire in general, and sexual pleasure in particular, are hindrances to enlightenment. Buddhist monks and nuns of most traditions are expected to refrain from all sexual activity and take vows of celibacy; lay people, however, are not expected to refrain from any specific form of sexual activity, and there is no concept of sinfulness attaching to sex.

Hinduism

See also

Anal beads

Anal fingering

Anal fisting

Anal masturbation

Anal-oral contact

Ass to mouth, (ATM or A2M)

Butt plug

Coprophilia

Creampie (sexual act)

Erogenous zone

Felching

Klismaphilia

List of anal sex positions

LGBT topics and Buddhism

Sodomy

Sodomy law

References

Further reading

Bentley, Toni The Surrender: An Erotic Memoir, Regan Books, 2004.

Brent, Bill Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men, Cleis Press, 2002.

Hite, Shere The Hite Report on Male Sexuality

Houser, Ward Anal Sex. Encyclopedia of Homosexuality. Dynes, Wayne R. (ed.), Garland Publishing, 1990. pp. 48–50.

Manning, Lee The Illustrated Book Of Anal Sex, Erotic Print Society, 2003. ISBN 978-1-898998-59-4

Morin, Jack Anal Pleasure & Health: A Guide for Men and Women, Down There Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0-940208-20-9

Sanderson, Terry The Gay Man's Kama Sutra, Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

Strong, Bill with Lori E. Gammon Anal Sex for Couples: A Guaranteed Guide for Painless Pleasure Triad Press, Inc.; First edition, 2006. ISBN 978-0-9650716-2-8

Tristan Taormino The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women, Cleis Press, 1997, 2006. ISBN 978-1-57344-028-8

Underwood, Steven G. Gay Men and Anal Eroticism: Tops, Bottoms, and Versatiles, Harrington Park Press, 2003

Webb, Charlotte Masterclass: Anal Sex, Erotic Print Society, 2007.

DeCitore, David Arouse Her Anal Ecstasy (2008) ISBN 978-0-615-39914-0

External links

Anal Intercourse and Analingus – from alt.sex FAQ

William Saletan. The Riddle of the Sphincter: Why do women who have anal sex get more orgasms? Slate, October 11, 2010.

Category:Anal eroticism Category:Sexology Category:Sexual acts