Women’s techniques for pleasure from anal touch: Results from a U.S. probability sample of women ages 18–93

Abstract

The study purpose was to assess, in a U.S. probability sample of women, the specific ways women have discovered to experience pleasure from anal touch. Through qualitative pilot research with women that informed the development of the survey instrument used in this study, we identified three previously unnamed, but distinct, anal touch techniques that many women find pleasurable and that expand the anal sexual repertoire beyond the more commonly studied anal intercourse behaviors: Anal Surfacing, Anal Shallowing, and Anal Pairing. This study defines each technique and describes its prevalence among U.S. adult women. Weighted frequencies were drawn from the Second OMGYES Pleasure Report—a cross-sectional, online, national probability survey of 3017 American women’s (age 18–93) sexual experiences and discoveries. Participants were recruited via the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®. Data suggest that 40% of women find ‘Anal Surfacing’ pleasurable: sexual touch by a finger, penis, or sex toy on and around the anus. Approximately 35% of women have experienced pleasure using ‘Anal Shallowing’: penetrative touch by a finger, penis, or sex toy just inside the anal opening, no deeper than a fingertip/knuckle. Finally, 40% of women make other forms of sexual touch more pleasurable using ‘Anal Pairing’: touch on or inside the anus that happens at the same time as other kinds of sexual touch such as vaginal penetration or clitoral touching. These data provide techniques that women can and do use to explore the anus as a pleasurable region for touch—which can enable women to better identify their own preferences, communicate about them and advocate for their sexual pleasure.

Pleasurable and problematic receptive anal intercourse and diseases of the colon, rectum and anus

“…Nonetheless, RAI is common worldwide [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] . Up to 81% of cisgender gay and bisexual men 10 , 20-46% of cisgender women 10,28 (including cisgender heterosexual 29 , lesbian 30 and bisexual 30 women), 80% of transgender women (or transfeminine people) 31,32 and 28% of transgender men (or transmasculine people) 33 engage in RAI. For intersex people and individuals with differences of sex development 34 , RAI is a major source of erogenous sensation and pleasure -particularly for those who had genitopelvic surgery at birth resulting in decreased genital sensations 35 .…”