Tesfan Posted:
Anal sex most often refers to the sex act involving insertion of the male reproductive organ into the rectum.[1] The term anal sex can also sometimes include other sexual acts involving the bum, including but not limited to anilingus and fingering.
It is a form of sexual behavior considered to be comparatively high in risk, due to the vulnerability of the tissues and the septic nature of the bum.[2] As the rectal mucosa provides little natural lubrication, a personal lubricant is most often required or preferred when penetrating the bum.
Penetration using the male reproductive organ
Men who have sex with men (MSM)
19th-century erotic interpretation of Hadrian and Antinous, by Paul Avril
19th-century erotic interpretation of Hadrian and Antinous, by Paul Avril
In recent decades, particularly in Western cultures, anal sex has been popularly bumociated with male homosexuality and men who have sex with men (MSM). Among MSM who have anal sex, the insertive partner is referred to as the top or active partner. The male being penetrated is referred to as the bottom or pbumive partner. Preference for either is referred to as versatile. Not all MSM engage in anal sex, and some groups such as frot[3] advocacy groups actively denounce anal sex as degrading toward the receptive partner and an unncessary health risk. This viewpoint cites the increased HIV risk and physiological differences of the bum from the woman's genitals.
In the bottom partner, being penetrated can produce a pleasurable sensation due to the inserted male reproductive organ rubbing or brushing against the prostate through the anal wall. Penetration can be painful if the bottom partner’s bum is not properly lubricated.
Heterosexual
Print, Paul Avril
Print, Paul Avril
In modern Western countries anal sex is reported as being a widely practiced, if still minority, form of intercourse between men and women. In some cultures, receptive anal intercourse by heterosexual partners is widely accepted. One reason is that there is very low risk of unwanted pregnancy via unprotected anal intercourse (though this is not an absolute guarantee, because semen can leak from the bum, cross the perineum, and enter the woman's genitals). Also, anal sex is sometimes seen as preserving female virginity because it leaves the hymen intact. Another reason is that the bum is considered to yield more tactile pleasure for the male reproductive organ, being tighter than the woman's genitals. The Renaissance poet Pietro Aretino advocated the practice in his Sonetti Lussuriosi (Lust Sonnets).[4]
Alternatively, the man may take the receptive role in heterosexual anal sex, usually aided by sex toys. The practice of pegging, in which a woman wearing a strap-on dildo penetrates her male partner, is gaining acceptance[citation needed]. Moreover, due to the proximity of the prostate gland to the rectum, it has been suggested that males may derive greater satisfaction in this manner than females.[5][6]
Anal sex and female virginity
Though more often applied to first penetration,[7][8][9] the concept of “technical virginity” is sometimes conceived as resting solely on woman's genitalsl penetration.[10] In Norman Mailer’s novel Harlot’s Ghost, a character states that in Italy, an unmarried woman had to be “a maiden before and a martyr behind”, implying that such women were obliged to submit to anal sex and that anal sex was painful.
In other cases, first anal intercourse is conceived of as ending a separate virginity from first woman's genitalsl intercourse,[11] with varying degrees of seriousness. In a Rolling Stone interview, comedian Sarah Silverman joked: “I didn’t lose my virginity until I was twenty-six. Nineteen woman's genitalslly, but twenty-six what my boyfriend calls ‘the real way.’”[12]
Prevalence
According to a 2004 report, “Some research suggests that one in four heterosexuals in the US has tried anal sex and for one in 12, it is an occasional or episodic practice. Other surveys suggest that seven times as many women as gay men engage in anal intercourse, a figure reflecting the greater overall heterosexual population.”[13]
While at the present time it is reported more frequently among same-sex couples, according to Dr. John Dean and Dr. David Delvin, “in absolute numbers, it is hypothesized that more heterosexual couples have anal sex than homosexual couples”.[14]
Homosexual
In the 1950s in the United Kingdom, it was thought that about fifteen percent of male homosexuals practiced the method.[15] 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 men surveyed engage in anal sex. The Laumann study claims that 80% of gay men practice it, while the remaining 20% never engage in it at all.
A survey conducted from 1994 to 1997 in San Francisco by the Stop AIDS Project indicated that over the course of the study, among men who have sex with men, the proportion engaging in anal sex increased from 57.6% to 61.2%.[16]
Heterosexual
In 2005, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control determined that the incidence of anal relations in the heterosexual population is on the increase. The survey showed that 40 percent of men and 35 percent of women between 25 and 44 had engaged in heterosexual anal sex; in 1992 a similar survey found that only 25.6 percent of men 18 to 59 and 20.4 percent of women 18 to 59 had.[17]
A 2001 French survey of five hundred female respondents concluded that a total of 29% had practiced anal sex, though only one third of these claimed to have enjoyed the experience.[18] In contrast, in a 1999 South Korean survey of 586 women, only 3.5% of respondents reported having had anal sex.[19]
Figures for the prevalence of sexual behavior can 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 have engaged in 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 practiced anal sex at between 30% and 50%.[20]
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.”[21]
Other sex acts involving the bum
Anal sex need not involve penile insertion. The active partner, whether male or female, may use appendages other than a male reproductive organ, such as the fingers and a fist. The use of the mouth and tongue on the bum, called rimming or anilingus is also common, often in conjunction with other sexual acts. He or she might also use an artificial device, often a phallic reproduction (dildo) or one that is generally engineered specifically for anal penetration (bum plug).
Diagram showing location of prostate
Diagram showing location of prostate
A female using a strap-on dildo to anally penetrate a male is often referred to as pegging.[22] Due to the proximity of the prostate gland to the rectum, it has been suggested that males may achieve greater satisfaction in this manner than females.[23]
Prostate stimulation
The prostate gland (also known as the “male G-spot” or “A-spot”Log in to see images! can be stimulated during anal intercourse.[24]
Stimulation of the prostate gland can result in pleasurable sensations and can lead to a distinct type of orgasm in some cases. The prostate is located next to the rectum and is the larger, more developed[25] male homologue to the Skene’s glands, also known as the “G-spot”[26] or “female prostate”,[27] which are located around the urethra and can be felt through the wall of the woman's genitals.
