We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the best tips they had for anal sex. Here's some of their most helpful advice:
1. Avoid having anal sex if you feel the urge to poop.
"Try not to do this stuff when you know you need to poop, or when you're having some sort of intestinal issues or whatever."
2. Use a latex glove and stick a finger in to see if it comes out clean.
"If you really want to make sure that you don't have any fecal matter up there, you could get a latex glove, stick a finger up there, and feel around."
3. Shit happens, literally, so try not to be embarrassed because it's totally normal.
"Understand that there's no avoiding at least a little bit of fecal matter when you're going to be up in a butt, so make sure you and your partner or partners are prepared for that without any of you feeling weird or shamed."
4. Try to eat a lot of fiber in advance.
"Eating a high-fiber diet is a great way to ensure that everything stays clean. Fiber solidifies your poop, making it much easier for your body to push it all out without leaving bits behind."
5. Use a LOT of lube.
"There are anal lubes you can get that have bursting beads or that heat up or tingle — a lot of different things to stimulate the area."
6. Stop occasionally to add more lube throughout.
"Pull out and add more lube every so often or when it starts to feel uncomfortable, because the butt kinda seems to absorb a lot of the lube after a little while."
7. Try using a lube shooter.
"A lube shooter may help you out tremendously. These are like big syringes that let you 'shoot' a little bit of lube past your sphincter so that the inside is lubed as well as the outside."
9. Practice with a dildo that's around the same size as what you'll be penetrated with.
"Get a dildo that's roughly the same size as your partner's penis, dildo, or strap-on. That way you can take as much time as possible, see what kind of depth and speed you can handle, and learn how much lube you need. You can try different angles of penetration to see what's the easiest for you, etc."
10. Try rimming.
"If you don't wanna try rimming, that's fine; it's not for everyone. But personally, it makes me feel way more relaxed, and being relaxed is very important for anal sex. Some of the best sex I've had has been with guys who spent a while down there before any actual penetration. Please note, though, that a rim job is not a substitute for lube."
11. Experiment with positions because some may actually make anal sex more uncomfortable for you.
"Doggy style is not the only way to do it, and can actually make it hurt more for first-timers. Be sure to try a bunch of positions until you find the one that feels the best for you."
12. Try lying on your side.
"Instead of how a lot of people normally get into a doggy-type position, I found that lying on the side helped. I did it when my body was very relaxed, like first thing in the morning."
13. Never put any body parts or toys in the vagina right after they were in the anus.
"You can get all sorts of infections that way. If you really want to be able to switch quickly, put a condom on the partner, partners, or dildo before anal, and then take off the condom quickly to switch to the vagina (if you don't need a condom for that part, of course). If you need a condom for both, take the time to switch."
14. Relax and start slow.
"Make sure you go slowly when approaching anal. Be really turned on and relaxed, and have a good butt-fingering session first. Like, I'd say get three fingers in your butt. Then the penis needs to be put into the butt slowly and methodically."
15. Try stimulating yourself while receiving anal sex, because that may help relax you a bit more.
"This isn't essential, but in my experience, it has helped. If you have a vagina, use a toy to pleasure yourself. Stimulate your clit, your G-spot, whatever feels good for you. You can have some amazing orgasms from this. If you have a penis, try stroking."
16. And have open communication with your partner or partners.
"You need to be able to tell your partner or partners how slow or fast to go, how long to keep the finger in before they add another, if you need more lube, or if you need a break. Anal can be a lot for a person, so be patient with yourself and your partner or partners."
Note: Some of the stories in this post have been sourced from Reddit. Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.