More women might be open to backdoor sex than you think, according to a new study from Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.
After researchers surveyed more than 2,000 men and women about their sexual behaviors, they found that nearly 43 percent of men and 37 percent of women reported having anal sex with the opposite sex in their lifetime.
The findings are consistent with a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found nearly the exact same percentages for both men and women.
Once taboo, anal sex has slowly been slipping into the mainstream, largely due to pop culture and porn, explains Kimbery McBride, Ph.D.— a sex researcher not affiliated with the study—in our playbook on how to make anal sex better for her.
While that 37 percent shown in the study suggests that a significant number of women are open to the idea, that doesn’t necessarily mean your partner is automatically game for anal sex. But if you have both expressed interest in experimenting with it, there are some things to consider before you do so.
In the past, sex researcher Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., lead author of the study, gave Men’s Health her advice on what you should know about anal sex. Here, the top tips from both her and McBride on what you can do to make sure anal sex is just as good for her as it is for you.
