This booklet is for people who want to explore the erotic sensations available from anal play and/or anal penetration, either as the recipient or the giver. The idea of anal play may be completely new to you, or you may have wondered about it but never tried it. Or you may have tried it and experienced discomfort but would like to try it again.

Anal play incorporates any stimulation to the anus including:

  • Touching (with hands)
  • Licking
  • Massaging
  • Penetrating (with fingers or sex toys)

Stimulation to the anus can provide very pleasurable sensations for everyone.

Who is anal play for?

It is widely believed that only gay men engage in anal play or anal penetration, but this is not the case. Many people of all genders and sexualities enjoy this part of their bodies, and some men who have sex with men gay men don’t engage in anal play of any kind. 

What are some common worries about anal play?

It is common for people to have mixed feelings about exploring anal pleasure This is a region of our bodies that is often taboo and that has been associated with dirtiness (although some people find breaking taboos part of the appeal). 

Two common myths about the harms associated with anal penetration are that it can give you haemorrhoids (piles) or make you incontinent. These are not true.

All sexual activities that involve coming into contact with another person’s body mean we also come into contact with any bacteria or viruses they may have. It is a good idea for anyone who is sexually active, not just people engaging in anal play, to have regular sexual health check-ups.

It is important to educate ourselves about the possibilities and risks of picking up or passing on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), so we can make choices about who to have what kinds of sex with and what precautions to take in each instance.

It is important to understand that anal sex carries a few more risks than vaginal sex for the transmission of STIs, including HIV. This is because:

  • The rectum is a lot less robust than the vagina.
  • The walls of the rectum are very thin and easily damaged, and even tiny, invisible tears or grazes can allow bacteria or viruses to pass through.
  • The lining of the rectum is very absorbent, and will soak up any fluids, such as semen, along with any bacteria or virus particles that may be present, and pass them straight into the bloodstream.
  • Unlike the vagina, the rectum is not self-lubricating. The tiny amount of mucous present in the rectum is not enough to make penetration easy or comfortable. Using a lubricant (lube) for anal penetration not only protects the rectum from damage, it also enhances the pleasure.

If you and/or your partners are worried about passing on infections through any aspect of anal play, but still want to go ahead, you can put a barrier between you using cling film, dental dams or cut-up condoms for anilingus (rimming) and condoms or latex gloves for anal penetration with penis, hands, or sex toys. Be sure to change whichever barrier you are using between uses/partners.

Do I need to douche before anal play?

People often worry that they will smell or taste bad, even if they have emptied their bowels. But, if you have a bath or shower and wash as usual before engaging in anal play or penetration, you should be clean enough.

Some people are more concerned than others about cleanliness in this context, and sometimes they wash inside their rectum before anal sex, using a douche.

A douche is a device for squirting water up your anus or vagina, to clean it out.

Anal douching is not recommended because:

  • it washes away the protective mucous in your rectum, leaving you more open to infection;
  • it can cause irritation to the rectal lining (especially if you use ready-filled douches containing chemicals), which will let infection through even more easily; and 
  • with some douches, it can be difficult to control the pressure or quantity of water entering you, and some nozzles may cause tiny injuries to your rectum.

If after reading the above you still feel you want to douche, it is important that you use only plain, clean water at body temperature. And we recommend that, if you do use a douche, you use only the small rubber bulb type. However, you should be aware that even plain, clean water can irritate the lining of your rectum and make you more vulnerable to infection.