Editor,
You might have noticed the sex column about anal sex: “Clean and painless anal sex- no butts about it.” It might be beneficial for you to write the next column about anal sex from a medical perspective. Does it have any adverse effects? There was not one sentence on condom use, health risks, STIs, etc. Perhaps it is time for an anal sex health risk reduction booster?
These are some of the questions I received after the “Doing it in the Duke City” column ran in the Lobo on Jan. 21. In that column, Ms. Riley discussed how to make anal sex comfortable, enjoyable and clean. I thought I’d balance the picture with a reminder of the risks.
Anal sex is not a new activity, nor is it rare. Men and women both heterosexual and homosexual practice it. Although it is difficult to know how many people engage in anal sex, one survey reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated 40 percent of men reported having had penile-anal sex with a woman and eight percent with a man. 35 percent of women in the survey reported having penile-anal sex with a man. I don’t know how accurate these numbers are, but I do suspect anal sex is more common than you think.
Most people who engage in anal sex do it because they enjoy it. Some do it to avoid pregnancy. Some virgin women have anal sex instead of vaginal sex, feeling that this preserves their virginity.
The basic risks of anal sex are disease spread and injury. Any sexually transmitted disease can be passed anally. HIV is more contagious through anal sex than vaginal sex. Hepatitis B and C can also be passed this way, as can herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis. Human papilloma virus, or HPV, can be transmitted anally, resulting in warts inside the rectum or around the anus. HPV infection increases the risk of cancer of the infected tissues. These diseases can pass both ways, by the way, from anus to penis as well as vice versa. Take-home lesson? Use a condom. We have them at Student Health and Counseling.
Bacterial infections can happen after anal sex as well. The normal gut is full of bacteria. That isn’t a problem — in fact, they serve a useful purpose. But if these bacteria get to someplace they don’t belong, it can be a problem. For example, if tissue is damaged during rough or improperly lubricated anal sex, the damaged tissue can get infected and form an abscess which has to be surgically drained. So, make sure you use enough lubrication. Also, if a penis is inserted into a vagina after being in an anus, this can cause an infection in the vagina. If you go from anal to vaginal intercourse, change condoms in between.
Hepatitis A is a virus that is carried in the intestinal system. This virus can be passed from one person to another by direct oral to anal contact, or by oral contact with a penis after anal penetration of an infected person. Again, use condoms for anal sex, and remove or change them before other sexual activity.
Finally, there is a risk of direct injury from anal penetration. The tissue around the anus is fragile and easily damaged. Be careful and use lubrication.
What you, as consenting adults, do for pleasure in the privacy of your bedroom is your business. I just want you to be safe while doing it.
Dr. Peggy Spencer
Daily Lobo reader
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
