{"id":748,"date":"2016-10-19T10:45:11","date_gmt":"2016-10-19T10:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/?p=748"},"modified":"2025-04-02T15:59:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T15:59:52","slug":"does-anal-sex-hurt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/does-anal-sex-hurt\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Anal Sex Hurt?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why does anal sex hurt? Can I use a numbing cream during anal play? We asked certified sex educators to answer all your questions on how to make anal sex less painful.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

While anal play can be a lot of fun, it\u2019s not always comfortable. Unfortunately, there\u2019s an urban legend that anal sex is supposed to hurt or that somehow, it magically shifts from ouch to awesome. But if it ever does feel uncomfortable, there are better ways to deal with that than just hoping it\u2019ll change.<\/p>\n

Pleasurable anal sex is 90% preparation, and that includes getting mentally prepared. That\u2019s even truer if you\u2019ve had uncomfortable or painful experiences in the past because your body will expect the same thing again, which makes the anus tighten up. A little preparation will help a lot.<\/p>\n

New to anal play? Below are the 5 golden rules on getting started with butt stuff:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Communication:<\/strong> How to talk about anal<\/a> with your partner.<\/p>\n

Preparation:<\/strong> How to get ready for anal<\/a> play, step by step.<\/p>\n

Foreplay:<\/strong> Always start off with some analingus<\/a> or\u00a0anal massaging<\/a> before you move on to anal fingering<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Penetration:<\/strong> When you’re ready, introduce an anal toy<\/a> or master these best anal positions<\/a> for pain-free sex.<\/p>\n

Mastering:\u00a0<\/strong>The significance of anal sex aftercare<\/a> and anal training<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Is anal sex painful?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the common misconceptions is that anal sex will hurt, weaken or damage the anal muscles. The grain of truth in that story is that it\u2019s possible to hurt yourself and cause permanent injury if you aren\u2019t paying attention to what you\u2019re doing or if you\u2019re forcing your body (or your partner\u2019s body) to do something that doesn’t feel good.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like bending over to touch your toes. If you never stretch or do yoga, you won\u2019t be as flexible and forcing it can cause damage or muscle tears. But if you know how to listen to your body and only go as far as it can go, you\u2019ll get more flexible over time without hurting yourself. People have enjoyed anal sex for many years without ever causing damage. The way they do that is by never going further than what feels good.<\/p>\n

Even if you have anal sex regularly, you might have days where it just doesn\u2019t work. That\u2019s totally ok. You can do something else on those occasions and have anal sex another time. Listen to your body and let it tell you what it\u2019s capable of today. That\u2019s the best way to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

What if anal sex hurts? Use more lube.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are a few different reasons why anal sex might not feel good. One of the most common ones is a stingy or friction sensation. That\u2019s because there isn\u2019t enough lubricant, so you\u2019ll want to add a little more. Don\u2019t tolerate or endure the discomfort because all that does it make your body tighten up more. Adding more lube will make it feel much better, so don’t hesitate. That\u2019s especially important if there\u2019s a lot of in and out motion.<\/p>\n

REVEALED:<\/strong> b-Vibe Founder Alicia Sinclair reveals the best anal lubes<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Use<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a different kind of sensation when the anal muscles aren\u2019t relaxed enough. It\u2019s less of a stingy, surface-level sensation and more of a deeper, muscular feeling. It might be difficult to tell them apart if you\u2019re new to anal play, but if adding more lubricant isn\u2019t doing the trick, it might be because the muscles aren\u2019t warmed up yet. Back off and go with something smaller, like one less finger or a smaller toy. Don\u2019t force it. Even if that means that you don’t get to do everything you want to do this time, it\u2019ll pay off next time because you\u2019re not training your body to expect pain.<\/p>\n

Do not use numbing creams during anal sex<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While it might seem like a good idea to use a numbing cream to reduce the discomfort from anal sex, it can actually increase the odds of hurting yourself. Most products use benzocaine, which is similar to novocain. If you\u2019ve ever been to the dentist and later bit the inside of your cheek without realizing it because you were still numb, you know how you can cause damage without realizing it.<\/p>\n

\"Avoid<\/p>\n

The same thing can happen with numbing creams. They make it easy to keep going even when the lube has run dry or your body tightens up, so it’s a lot more likely that you\u2019ll hurt yourself. At b-Vibe, we want you to feel amazing, so we don’t recommend numbing creams. You\u2019ll be better off learning other ways to make anal sex fun.<\/p>\n

Anal aftercare<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re done with your anal play, you might want to head to the bathroom. It\u2019s fine to clean up externally, whether with a warm washcloth or a hypoallergenic wipe. But resist the urge to sit on the toilet and squeeze the lube out. You\u2019ve just worked those muscles and it\u2019s good to give them a chance to recover before you ask them to work again. Cuddle up on the bed and enjoy the afterglow. Give your body 10-15 minutes to rest before you sit on the toilet and you\u2019ll recover a lot more quickly.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, everything feels great in the moment but you feel some discomfort afterward. There might even be a little bit of blood on the toilet paper. If it\u2019s just a tiny spot and it goes away after 5 minutes or so, it\u2019s probably because there was a little too much friction and you didn\u2019t notice in the heat of the moment. Be sure to use more lubricant next time.<\/p>\n

\"Anal<\/p>\n

Whether there\u2019s any blood or not, you might have a stingy sensation. You can soothe that with a little bit of\u00a0coconut or a cocoa butter salve. It\u2019s a lot like putting lip balm on, but at the other end. Don’t use products with scents or dyes on the anus since they can cause more irritation.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Learn why sex educators love using coconut oil as lube<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s more than a tiny bit of blood on the toilet paper or if it doesn\u2019t stop within 5 minutes, that might mean that you need to get checked out by a doctor. It doesn\u2019t happen often (especially if you\u2019re following our tips), but it can be a serious situation. Don\u2019t delay, and be honest with the doctor. They\u2019ve seen it before and telling them what happened will make it easier for them to give you the care you need.<\/p>\n

An ounce of prevention can make anal sex great<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve been using enough lubricant, giving yourself or your partner plenty of warm-up, and addressing any discomfort right away, it\u2019s really not likely that anal play will cause problems. All it takes is a little preparation and attention, but when you do so you and your partner can have an amazing time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why does anal sex hurt? Can I use a numbing cream during anal play? We asked certified sex educators to answer all your questions on how to make anal sex less painful. While anal play can be a lot of fun, it\u2019s not always comfortable. Unfortunately, there\u2019s an urban legend … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[29],"class_list":["post-748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anal-play-advice","tag-beginner-guide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=748"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4625,"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions\/4625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bvibe.com\/anal-play-101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}