Anal Sex Isn’t Risk Free

If you haven’t heard the word making the rounds in the last week, women are taking risks with anal sex when they could take a lesson from men who have sex with men. Recent research from the New York Department of Health found that 100,000 women in NYC have anal sex each year. Yet only 23% of those women practice safer sex with condoms, as reported by Jordan Rubenstein.

Unprotected sex, whether it’s vaginal or anal, carries risk for sharing any STIs you or your partner may be unknowingly host to. The risk of STI transmission is high with unprotected anal sex, as the tissue in rectum is not as resilient as that in the vagina, and the rectum can’t self-lubricate like the vagina can.

It’s not who you do, but what you do. If you’re having anal sex, use condoms and lots of lube. And never switch from anus to vagina without putting on a fresh condom. Enjoy exploring new things, just do it with savvy.

- Janet

 Check This Out: Take all the time you need for condom application

This blog represents the ideas of individual writers, and does not necessarily reflect any formal stance taken by Positive Women's Network. Read our comments policy.

Youshouldknow.ca: sexual health news, views and science for women in perimenopause and beyond. Find info on preventing sexually transmitted infections, aging considerations, and relationship dynamics. Supportive information for all of us as we move into our middle years with partners new and old.