Dirty Science Fri: Does Anal Sex Cause Permanent Stretching?

Does Gay Sex Cause Incontinence? 

While most of you probably know the answer to this Dirty Science Friday, the fear of permanent anal stretching continues to be a concern for the youngins and Q's out there. This is ESPECIALLY true for those growing up in right-wing areas of the U.S. where some anal-obsessed RePUBElicans have decided, among all things, to fear monger with the idea of shitting all over yourself. I heard it a lot while growing up in Tennessee, and sadly it made sense to me at the time and was something I worried about moving forward with my homosexiness.  

It turns out that the question of the correlation between anal sex and incontinence is more about the devious depths of the Internet and right-wing wackos than it is about our bodies and biology. With that said, we should always listen to our buttholes and be safe when bottoming. Here are the penetration basics, as well as some examples of the the misinformation circulating around the Internet.

Your Butthole is a Muscle

Buttholes are like any other muscles in our bodies, in that they are meant to be stretched. Not to be too graphic, but if you've had a coffee and a Fiber One bar within an hour of each other, you know what our bodies are capable of dealing with, foreign objects aside. Ker-plunk, amirite. Okay that was graphic.

A common fear is that the sphincter wasn't put on this great Earth to stretch when in actuality, just like all of our other muscles, it was BORN to stretch. In fact, stretching the asshole can actually help strengthen it and turn it into super asshole, says Bill Brent, author of The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men: Via Salon (link below)

Stretching the sphincter and rectal tissue safely over time tends to strengthen rather than loosen the muscles associated with anal sex, as people who practice fisting and using large toys can attest.

Adds sex educator and PhD Charlie Glickman:

Muscles don’t wear out because you use them. If stretching muscles necessarily caused them to tear, long-term yoga practitioners would be in trouble. Just like any other muscle, relaxing and stretching the anus doesn’t cause damage if you listen to your body and don’t force it.

Taking care of your sphincter When Bottoming

Although full blowout incontinence from anal sex is rare, being too aggressive with any part of your body can lead to health problems. God did all She could when it came to our buttholes, but when bottoming, there is such a thing as being too rough. It's important to make sure that you are not creating damage, either by going to fast (there's a reason people stretch before running), or not using enough lube. Riding while high, intoxicated, or with the assist of numbing cream can contribute to asshole damage, because our pain receptors are less sensitive. Go slow, lube up, and listen to your body. 

For example, this website steals its fonts from real online health resources, and includes the article "Anal Sex: A Dangerous Trend." Meanwhile an entire paper titled "The Sexual Behavior of Homosexuals", available on Google Books, features actually foul gems like: "Repetitive anal sex, especially with large penises or rectal insertions of large objects may damage the internal anal sphincter, thereby preventing complete sealing of the anus, and leading to fecal mucus seepage." Penned by Buffalo Bill. 

Hopefully we all learned something from this Dirty Science Friday! Now, go put that asshole to work this weekend!