Does Anal Cause Long-Term Incontinence

One of the main reasons most people stay away from butt sex, aside from the pain, is the poop. Because, yes, we poop. All of us. Even the guy who you just matched with on Tinder (he was probably pooping when he was Tinder to swipe right on your profile). People who enjoy anal will try convincing their friends or people in anal-related message boards who care enough to Google opinions about this sort of thing that anal is nothing to be afraid of. But then the possibility of life-long incontinence comes up, and all of that reassurance goes out the window.

Enter through the exit. Most people are fairly split on anal sex. Some love it. Some hate it. Some won’t ever even try it. Wherever you stand, this thought may or may not have crossed your mind at least once — can anal sex break your butt?

Incontinence. Seeing as anal sex involves a penis humping in and out of an anus, which is already a sensitive enough area as it is, it makes sense why some people might worry. Incontinence is the lack of control of your bowels (more or less), so if your butt is consistently taking a hit, so to speak, some assume that it might actually fall victim to it.

Worriers. If you’re worried about your butt, then good on you for being aware of all possibilities. That being said, you should be OK. According to Salon, “there haven’t been any large-scale, long-term incontinence studies done on gay men who bottom.” But that’s not to say the worrying is for naught.

Bottoms. Of the people who indulge in butt sex, gay men take the cake. That is to say, gay men who bottom (not all gay men like bottoming, people). So, naturally, if anyone were to be at the highest risk, it’d be them.

Worn out muscles. According to that same Salon article, a reader wrote in to get some advice. His friend was told by his doctor that if he continues to have anal sex on a regular basis, his sphincter muscle won’t work the way it used to, and all of Hell will essentially break loose.

Clenching. If you’re not entirely familiar with how the body works, once the sphincter muscles gives out, no amount of clenching will keep that poop up your chute. In a way, your sphincter muscle is kind of your most important muscle. You know, unless you don’t mind sh*tting uncontrollably.

Official word. Officially speaking, no, anal sex isn’t going to give you incontinence. But is there such thing as too much of a good thing? Of course. That applies to anything. If you’re going to put a penis in your butt over and over again, just keep in mind that your body needs tending. Add some TLC and you should be good to go.

The real harm. Now, even though incontinence is more of just an urban legend for butts, it still doesn’t hurt to be careful. The butt can be a scary place if it’s not taken care of. A dark abyss of nightmares. OK, that’s going a bit far. But still.

Rough up the butt. If you’re going to engage in anal sex, you need to know what to watch out for. You need to be aware of the possible damage you can inflict upon it if you’re not entirely careful.

Slip ‘n slide. Fun fact: a butt is not a vagina. Now that that bit of information is out of the way, let’s talk about why that matters. A vagina is naturally lubricated. A butt? Not so much. So if you’re skimping out on lube, prepare to feel the wrath of a painfully booty. Which is a real pain in the a** (badum tssss)

Rectum? Dear near killed ‘im. Aside from lube, there is the general preparation necessary to keep it from hurting. You don’t just want to shove any ol’ penis into it without first treating it to some gentle foreplay. This includes, but is not limited to, rimming, rubbing, light fingering… You get the idea.

Spray. You may have heard about numbing creams or sprays that people use before engaging in anal sex. Try to avoid these. While they might seem perfectly useful, they don’t change the fact that you’re still causing damage to your bum — just because you don’t feel it right away.

Muscle men. Your butt is made up of muscle. The sphincter itself is a muscle. So, as long as you don’t exhaust it or cause it any genuine damage, you’ll be fine. Go have sex. With your butt. No one is judging you.

Fear factor. Whether you enjoy anal sex or have been considering it, don’t let this fear scare you. Your butthole may be sensitive, but it’s strong. It can take a d*ck. Just treat it well. Be careful. Lube it up. If something happens, obviously get it checked out, but don’t assume that it certainly will.

On the fence. If you’re on the fence about anal sex, you might be surprised to discover that there are a hell of lot of nerves down there that feel incredibly nice when tended to. Then again, you would know this already if you would just brave your fingers down there once in a while and give it a spin yourself.