You need to be aware of the risks involved in anal sex so that you can practice safe sex. If you and your partner want to explore anal sex, it's important to take it slowly and safely, and learn how to do it right. You want to make the experience enjoyable for both of you, and make sure you are aware of the risks in order to take the proper safety precautions. You should have protected sex, regardless of whether you engage in oral, vaginal, or anal sex," says Evelyn Fisboin, MS, a marriage and family counselor at the Mind Spectrum Institute in North Miami Beach, Fla. Anal sex, however, can be safe so long as you are engaging in safe and protected sex.
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Using condoms is a great way to protect yourself and your partner from sexually transmitted infections STIs , including HIV. People are actually more likely to become infected with HIV from a serious partner compared to a casual partner [1]. This is because people are more likely to have condomless sex with a serious partner. Also, some people assume that their relationship is monogamous both partners only have sex with each other without talking to their partner about it. However, if they have different strains of HIV, then they can still transmit their strains to each other and make their health worse.
Risk of HIV
If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works. Anal sex is the practice of inserting the penis, fingers, or a foreign object such as a vibrator into the anus for sexual pleasure. With the appropriate precautions, anal sex is mostly safe. However, there are different potential risks that may not be present in vaginal or oral sex. For example, the anus cannot naturally lubricate itself to reduce discomfort and friction-related concerns, such as skin injuries.
The risk of getting HIV varies widely depending on the type of sexual activity. Anal sex intercourse , which involves inserting the penis into the anus, carries the highest risk of transmitting HIV if either partner is HIV-positive. Anal sex is the highest-risk sexual behavior for HIV transmission.
