Sexual practices Ready for actions

Anal sex

Anal sex includes all kinds of practices, including penetrating, getting penetrated, rimming, dipping and lots more. Some people like it all the time, other people sometimes, depending on the situation. The important thing is to respect yourself. Sex should feel good and be consensual.

Bareback sex

Barebacking (BB, raw, natural)

For you, is a condom a turnoff? You like it better raw? The guy you’re with agrees, or everyone at the sex party is into it? Barebacking is a desire you need to negotiate for. It shouldn’t be done under pressure, or to please someone, or as proof of love or trust. Be sure to set your limits so you can better enjoy yourself.

The new data from scientific studies shows that barebacking no longer represents a very high risk of HIV transmission if you use a prevention strategy—or better yet, more than one!

Some guys bareback only with their boyfriend or regular partners; others do it only with HIV-positive fuck buddies who have an undetectable viral load. Other guys have anal sex without a condom with strangers. It’s up to you to decide what level of HIV exposure risk you’re willing to take.

Dipping and pulling out before ejaculation

Dipping generally means partially or fully inserting a penis without a condom into a person’s anus. It may also mean inserting the penis for a few seconds, just to get really hard.

Pulling out before ejaculation means taking the penis out of the person’s mouth, anus or vagina before ejaculating when you’re not using a condom. You may enjoy cumming on your partner. To use pulling out as a prevention method, you need to be in control of your ejaculation. When you’re in the middle of the action, if you’re excited, it can be hard to control. Because HIV can be present even in precum (pre-ejaculatory fluid), pulling out is not as effective as other prevention strategies such as using a condom or taking PrEP. But compared to anal sex with ejaculation, pulling out before ejaculation may reduce risk. In other words, it’s better to pull out than to do nothing at all.

Dipping and pulling out before ejaculation do present an HIV risk, because the virus is present in the top’s precum and in the bottom’s anus. It also doesn’t protect you from other STIs. Ideally, it’s good to add other strategies to your sex toolkit to protect yourself. For HIV, you can reduce the risk considerably if you use other prevention methods, such as PrEP or an undetectable viral load.

Felching

If you like felching, that means you like sucking sperm from the ass of the person you’re having sex with. It may also mean you share the load while kissing. The risks are the same as for butt-licking (rimming, analingus) and blow jobs (fellatio). Also, since your mouth is coming into contact with the person’s anus, make sure you’ve been vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.

Rimming

Rimming (oral-anal contact, analingus, licking or eating ass, face-sitting)

Rimming is a very low-risk practice when it comes to HIV transmission, except if there is blood present (due to lesions or irritation). However, if the person living with HIV is taking effective treatment and their viral load is undetectable, there’s no chance of sexual transmission.

The risk for other STIs is comparable to that of a blow job. That means there is a risk of contracting one. Among other things, the presence of inflammation, bleeding at the gums or sores in the mouth can make it easier for viruses and bacteria to enter and exit.

However, rimming does carry a particular risk for the transmission of hepatitis A. There is a vaccine against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. It’s free for all men who have sex with men. Find out more from your doctor or call Info-Santé 811. As well, rimming involves a transmission risk for certain intestinal bacteria and parasites. If you’re exposed, you may have symptoms that resemble those of gastroenteritis (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting).

To reduce the risks of transmission, it’s recommended that you use the same strategies as for a blow job. To lick a person’s ass, you can also use a condom sliced open lengthwise (or a dental dam). To hold it in place better, you can put a few drops of lubricant (water-based or silicone) between the piece of latex and the person’s ass.

 

To reduce the risks:

  • Avoid brushing your teeth, using dental floss and using mouthwash for an hour before and an hour after.
  • Take care of any gum problems (inflammation, redness, bleeding) and mouth ulcers.
  • Avoid having oral sex the day you go to the dentist.
  • Avoid taking sperm into your mouth.
  • When getting tested for STIs, ask the doctor to take a throat swab.

Finger fucking & fisting

Finger-fucking (fingering, penetration with a finger) consists of putting fingers in someone’s ass, while fisting involves inserting your entire fist. Fingers and fists can also be inserted into a person’s vagina or front hole.

Penetration with a finger, hand or fist carries a negligible risk of HIV transmission.

To make these practices even safer and more pleasurable:

  • Trim your nails to avoid injuring your partner.
  • Make sure you have no cuts, wounds or bleeding from your fingers and hands.
  • Use a disposable glove for better protection against HIV and STIs.
  • Respect your partner’s rhythm (listen, communicate) to avoid causing bleeding or micro-tears in their anus, vagina or front hole.
  • Use a lubricant that’s compatible with your glove of choice.

If you’re having group sex, the same rule as for condoms applies: when you change holes, change gloves. Changing gloves helps prevent the transmission of infections between your partners.

When it comes to lubricant, don’t hesitate to reapply often, especially for fisting! Using lube from a shared container presents the risk of contamination between partners. If you plan to have group sex, ask each person to bring their own container, or prepare as many containers as there are people.

Anal douching

Before getting anally penetrated, lots of guys like to clean out using a bulb or anal douche. It’s up to you.

To clean out:

  • Use only lukewarm water (not hot or cold).
  • Don’t use chemical products. They irritate the anus and rectum. They can even remove a layer of protective cells, which increases the risk of HIV transmission.
  • Avoid turning the pressure up too high if you’re using an anal douche.

Regardless of when you do it, make sure you’re comfortable and that you respect your body’s rhythm.

After anal penetration, it’s not recommended to douche. Instead of eliminating bodily fluids, such as rectal fluid or sperm, douching can actually push them further into your body.

To learn more about cleaning out, visit the site How to Clean Your Ass Before Anal Sex.