doctors are ‘failing a generation of young women’ by not talking about anal sex
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around one in four women with anal sex experience said they had been pressured to participate in the practice at least once. getty
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a pair of surgeons are warning that clinicians are letting their patients down by neglecting to inform them of the dangers of anal sex.
in an article published in the bmj, tabitha gana and lesley hunt argue that failing to discuss a sexual practice that is growing in popularity among heterosexual couples only exposes women to missed diagnoses, futile treatments and other harms that arise in the absence of reliable medical advice.
according to the authors, health professionals, particularly those in general practice, colorectal surgery and gastroenterology, have a duty to recognize changing societal attitudes surrounding anal sex and engage in neutral, non-judgemental discussions with young women to ensure they have the tools they need to make informed decisions.
“it may not be just avoidance or stigma that prevents health professionals talking to young women about the risks of anal sex,” they write. “there is genuine concern that the message may be seen as judgmental or even misconstrued as homophobic. however, by avoiding these discussions, we may be failing a generation of young women, who are unaware of the risks.”
a national survey in the uk, where the article was written, found that participation in heterosexual anal intercourse has risen among 16- to 24-year-olds over the past few decades, from 12.5 per cent to 28.5 per cent, numbers that align with similar studies in the u.s. and canada.
young women who completed the survey listed multiple factors for participating in the practice, including pleasure, curiosity, pleasing their male partners and coercion. around one in four women with anal sex experience said they had been pressured to participate in the practice at least once.
anal sex is considered risky because it is connected to alcohol and drug use and multiple sexual partners, the article says, but there are other serious considerations that often go unmentioned. this includes an increased likelihood of fecal incontinence — which the authors say is more prevalent among women than men due to their differing anatomy — and the risk of anal sphincter injury.
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“the pain and bleeding women report after anal sex is indicative of trauma and risks may be increased if anal sex is coerced,” they say.
unfortunately, societal taboos often cause clinicians shy away from the subject of anal sex, a tendency that does a disservice to patients by depriving them of understanding the risks their actions entail. the tendency of national health agencies, such as britain’s nhs, to focus solely on stds — and not trauma or incontinence — when discussing anal sex only makes matters worse, the authors say.
“with better information, women who want anal sex would be able to protect themselves more effectively from possible harm and those who agree to anal sex reluctantly to meet society’s expectations or please partners, may feel better empowered to say ‘no,’” they conclude.
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
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