“Hi Steph. My boyfriend says that anal sex is a good way to not get pregnant. Is he right? Can we use it as birth control?”
Good question! There are a lot of misconceptions about anal sex and you’re doing the right thing by asking questions and looking for accurate information.
Are you planning to use some form of birth control (like the pill, nuvaring, Depo, etc) and also use a barrier method, such as a male or female condom? Do you know how to use these methods correctly? If the answer to both those questions is yes, then the risk of pregnancy as a result of anal sex is almost minimal. See these refreshers on how to use a male condom and female condom. Here‘s a refresher on how to use different methods of birth control correctly.
Unprotected anal sex (ie anal sex without a condom and/or a form of birth control) can result in pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted infections. For pregnancy to happen, a sperm (carried in semen) has to get to an egg. During unprotected anal sex, your boyfriend’s penis would release semen into your anus. Your anus is not internally connected to your vagina or uterus, but pregnancy can occur if any sperm, pre-cum, or pre-ejaculate get into or around your vagina or vulva. The semen can also travel from the outside of your anus and into your vagina if you don’t use some type of barrier method, like a condom.
I know this can be confusing. The bottom line is that pregnancy may be possible depending on what kind of birth control and barrier methods you use during anal sex. For more information and risk assessment, check out Scarleteen.
Another thing to keep in mind when considering anal sex is risk for STIs (sexually transmitted infections). Because the anus does not have the natural lubrication or thick lining that the vagina has, anal sex may result in tears around the anus. This makes it easier for bacteria and thus STIs to get into your system. An easy way to avoid that is to use a barrier method, such as condoms, and lots of lube. Another thing to remember is that with each act of sex, whether it be oral, anal, or vaginal, you should use a new condom. Double dipping can cause irritation and infections.
For more anal sex tips about pleasure and safety, check out Babeland.
Great post, Steph. I like the phrase “double dipping.”
I never would have thought that taking it up the butt could be a risk for pregnancy. Guess those sperm are better swimmers than I thought!
Whoa, you say take the pill, use a condom, AND do it in the ass, and the chance for pregnancy is “minimal”?
I’d say put fresh hay in the manger and buy up stocks in myrrh and francincense!
I think the author is being deceptive, and this smacks of an agenda. It is very, very unlikely for a woman to get pregnant from anal sex. The odds are so extremely low of getting pregnant from anal sex, that it is comparable to contraceptive methods like condoms or birth control pills.
Furthermore, you don’t get STDs from anal sex. You get a STD by having sex with someone who has an STD, and this can be via oral, vaginal, or anal sex. If you and your partner are free of STDs and do anal sex, then you will not catch an STD.
Truth, that’s true. But how do you know if your partner (or you) are free from all STIs? Because you or your partner got tested? The next question is, what were you tested for? There is NOT a comprehensive panel for STIs, which means it’s not possible to know whether you or your partner are free of all STIs.
Example: Do you consider genital warts an STI? The virus that causes those is spread through skin-to-skin contact, so people who’ve avoided penetrative sex (and may claim virgin status) but still have had “outercourse” (dry humping, levi-loving sans levis, etc) may’ve been exposed. And there are not definitive tests to determine whether someone has contracted HPV. And the virus can be present even if there are no symptoms.
So when it comes down to it, if someone (you or others) has engaged in sex play with another person or people, then there’s a risk of an STI. Both exposure to bodily fluids and skin-to-skin contact can result in the transmission of an infection, and people may not know their true status. Health care providers are often really vague (i.e. “We’ll test you for STDs”, and then the patient walks out not knowing that they were only tested for Chlamydia and gonorrhea… or “We’ll test you for everything” but really meaning, we’ll test you for everything for which there’s a test).
Goddamn disempowering miseducation, if you ask me.
Anal sex is a slightly higher risk activity because of the potential for skin tearing. That’s a fact.
I have enjoyed anal sex as a form of birth control with my wife for 10yrs and counting. I have ejaculated in my wife’s anus 3 or 4 times a week for ever and no babies have ever happened. When we planned to have baby I ejaculated in her vagina. When she is ovulating I ejaculate in her anus. It works for us and never have had a baby from semen leaking form her anus and finding its way into he vagina.
But you decide what works for u.
J