The Anal Sex Position Guide Read Free Page A

partner may be concerned about the relationship of anal sex and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Unprotected anal sex can put both partners at risk for STIs and is safe only if you and your partner have tested negative for all STIs and are in a monogamous relationship. If that’s not the case, you should use condoms and other safer sex practices to protect yourself and your partner.
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    Safer Sex
     
    Among all the anal play activities, from fingering to playing with toys, anal intercourse is the most risky when it comes to sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission. If you don’t know your STI status or that of your partner and/or if you’re not monogamous, unprotected anal intercourse is risky. You can be infected or infect your partner with gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, genital herpes, HPV, HIV, and hepatitis B through anal intercourse without a condom. The receptive partner is at a greater risk because there can be minute tears in the rectal tissue that provide a direct route to the bloodstream. Use a condom every time!
    Other anal activities are less risky than intercourse, although they are not 100 percent safe. In the case of genital herpes, for example, a condom alone will not fully protect you because herpes can be transmitted via skin-to-skin contact and not all of the genital skin is covered by a condom. You can further protect yourself with latex gloves for manual penetration, oral sex barriers (such as dental dams or plastic wrap) for rimming, and condoms if you’re going to share sex toys. If you or your partner is sensitive or allergic to latex, choose non-latex alternatives like polyurethane or nitrile.
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    Healing from Trauma
     
    If you’ve had a significant traumatic experience with anal sex, realize that it takes time to heal from any trauma. In some cases, you may be open to giving anal sex another shot but your body hasn’t quite caught up to your mind. If that’s the case, I recommend that you begin to introduce anal play very slowly into your solo masturbation routine. Start with external rubbing or a vibrator on the outside only. When you are ready, really take it slowly. Try one finger or the slimmest toy you can find. Give yourself the time and space to explore anal play on your own, so it will take the pressure off doing it with your partner. When you feel comfortable, you can try it with your partner, but you need to take it just as slowly as you did on your own. Make an agreement with your partner that you’ll be the one to call the shots (or call it off, if need be). Focus on your desire and trust to help you move past the fear and anxiety and toward pleasure.
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    Ultimately, it’s important for both partners to share all of their worries and fears before any experimenting begins. Putting all the anxieties, no matter how irrational, on the table will give you the chance to process your feelings, talk through your issues, and ask questions. When you replace some of the common myths and misinformation with facts, it will help to calm your fears and give you confidence to take the next step.
CONSENT
    Consent is the first step in all sexual encounters, but some couples who’ve been together for a long time can take this significant component of sex for granted. When you approach your partner with a new idea or fantasy, it’s important to give him or her the time and space to think about it, voice concerns, ask for compromise, and make a decision. You should never pressure or coerce someone to do something sexual that they don’t want to do. You shouldn’t ignore their concerns or push them to agree to something. And you should never introduce anal sex by trying to “slip it in” without asking. That’s just impolite and stupid! Likewise, if your partner asks you to do something, you should not feel obligated to do it just because you’re in a relationship, nor should you feel bad or guilty for saying no. You shouldn’t go through with it just to