Women’s Preferred Techniques for Pleasurable Anal Touch

There is a substantial amount of research out there on anal sex, particularly penile-anal sex; however, most of this research focuses only on topics such as how many people are doing it and the risks associated with this activity (i.e., STIs). Further, many of the studies focus only on men who have sex with men. However, we know that the anus is packed full of sensory nerve endings and stimulation of it can trigger arousal and orgasms for people across genders and sexualities [1], so it is surprising that researchers haven’t focused nearly as much on the varied ways that people engage in anal stimulation and the techniques that are linked to pleasure.

So what do we know about how women (and their partners) use anal stimulation as a way to enhance pleasure? Let’s explore.

Women’s Anal Pleasure Strategies

Between one-third and one-half of women report having engaged in some form of anal stimulation or touch before. There are myriad ways in which people can explore this part of the body and derive pleasure beyond penile penetration, but there’s not a lot of data out there about different techniques.

However, an article published in PLOS ONE by Dr. Devon Hensel and colleagues described three different ways that women have discovered pleasure from anal touch. From the reports of over 3,000 American women ages 18 to 93, the researchers identified three common strategies for anal pleasure: 1) anal surfacing, 2) anal shallowing, and 3) anal pairing [2].

1) Anal Surfacing

Anal surfacing involves touch where “the anus is reconceptualized as a flat erogenous zone”. In other words, the anus can be stimulated without penetration by stroking, applying pressure, or otherwise touching the anus without entering the body. Many people reported doing this with their partner’s finger or penis. Almost half of women reported enjoying this kind of non-penetrative anal stimulation.

2) Anal Shallowing

Perhaps evident in its name, anal shallowing involves shallow penetration of the anus usually just inside the anal opening. Using a toy, finger(s), or penis, anal shallowing involves penetration no deeper than a fingertip. About 35% of women who enjoy anal penetration described this type of stimulation as pleasurable.

3) Anal Pairing

Women have also described anal stimulation as being pleasurable when coupled with other types of stimulation (e.g., vaginal penetration, clitoral stimulation, etc.), which has been called anal pairing. Again, almost half of women reported this pairing technique as being pleasurable, with some saying that it makes orgasm easier.

The Importance of Understanding Anal Stimulation Techniques 

These stimulation techniques are important for many women’s sexual enjoyment, with almost 40% of women reporting that anal stimulation provides a unique sense of pleasure compared to other forms of stimulation and almost 30% claiming that it makes their orgasms more intense. These findings tell us that despite the immense focus on penile-anal penetrative sex, other forms of anal sex are quite prevalent and enjoyable for many women. Women can choose to engage in any or all these behaviors on their own or with a partner, and they can involve a hand, penis, or toy. We also know that anal surfacing, shallowing, and pairing are not an exhaustive list of all the options available to those who are interested in exploring their bodies further, but this does help open up the conversation beyond traditional ideas of anal sex.

It’s also important to note that it is completely acceptable to not enjoy these types of stimulation, and it’s okay for women to not have the desire to do so. Anal stimulation isn’t for everyone because each person’s body is different, and some women find it to be consistently painful (and not in a good way) [3]. If engaging in these kinds of activities is not pleasurable for you, recognize that there are many other erogenous zones on our bodies that can be explored and focus on what it is that brings pleasure to you.

As Dr. Hensel (the lead author on the new study) explains, understanding and naming the techniques women use to bring themselves pleasure is vitally important since this provides women with accessible terms to communicate with their partners about what feels good or what activities they would like to explore. This communication is essential in light of the fact that many women reported not experiencing pleasure the first time they tried anal stimulation. Many women reported that this was something they only came to enjoy over time, citing things like having a partner that made it accessible for them, feeling emotionally close to their partner, and having adequate warm-up as being essential ingredients to their discovery of anal pleasure.

If you’d like to learn more about this work, check out our podcast episode with Dr. Hensel, “How Women Feel About Anal Sex.” For further information, check out our blog post “Do Women Enjoy Anal Sex.”

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology ? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook (facebook.com/psychologyofsex), Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), or Reddit (reddit.com/r/psychologyofsex) to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

References:

1. Agnew, J. (2000) Anal manipulation as a source of sexual pleasure. Venereology, 13(4).
2. Hensel, D. J., von Hippel, C. D., Lapage, C. C., & Perkins, R. H. (2022). Women’s techniques for pleasure from anal touch: Results from a U.S. probability sample of women ages 18–93. PloS One, 17(6), e0268785–e0268785. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268785
3. Herbenick, D., Schick, V., Sanders, S. A., Reece, M., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2015). Pain experienced during vaginal and anal intercourse with other‐sex partners: Findings from a nationally representative probability study in the United States. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12(4), 1040-1051.

Images from Hensel et al. (2022); graphics made with Canva