We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Anal sex is the practice of inserting the penis, fingers, or a foreign object such as a vibrator into the anus for sexual pleasure. With the appropriate precautions, anal sex is mostly safe.

Male condoms are more likely to break during anal sex than vaginal sex, so some health clinics and workers have been promoting female condoms as an alternative. Certain design elements may, in fact, make female condoms inappropriate for anal sex. When used in the anus, the female condom may not be easy to insert, comfortable, or even safe. While some state health departments agree with Terlikowski and recommend the female condom for anal sex, others specifically caution against it. Among the health departments that endorse the use of the female condom for anal sex, there is disagreement about whether users should remove the inner ring before inserting the device. These mixed messages highlight the need for more research specifically into how the female condom performs during anal sex, as well as better options for couples, gay and straight, that want to engage in it.

Medical authorities have, for decades, promoted condoms as the gold standard for protection from HIV during all sex, be it oral, vaginal, or anal. Even in an era of relatively accessible low viral load management and PrEP , which drastically lower the risk of HIV transmission during sex without a condom, experts still tout the value of rubbers. The US government has a long history promoting condom use, especially for anal—the riskiest kind of sex for disease transmission thanks to the sensitive nature of anal tissue. This might seem like a small bureaucratic oversight.

While female condoms internal condoms were originally designed for use in vaginal intercourse, some gay and heterosexual couples have used them for anal sex. There are no research studies on their efficacy in preventing the transmission of HIV and sexually transmitted infections during anal sex, but they form a barrier which should prevent semen and other bodily fluids from passing from one sexual partner to the other. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that the device is impermeable to HIV and other viruses. It is therefore reasonable to assume that using a female condom for anal intercourse will provide protection. This means they are less likely to cause allergic reactions and can be used with oil-based lubricants.