Anilingus (also spelled analingus)[1][2] is an oral and anal sex act (anal–oral contact or anal–oral sex) in which one person stimulates the anus of another by using their tongue or lips.[3][4]
The anus has a relatively high concentration of nerve endings and can be an erogenous zone, and so the recipient may receive pleasure from external anal stimulation, whereas pleasure for the giver is usually based more on the principle of the act.[5][6] People may engage in anilingus for its own sake, before anal penetration, or as part of foreplay. All sexual orientations may participate in the act. Studies confirm anilingus to be one of the sexual practices between women,[7] though only practiced by a minority.[8]
Safer sex practices generally revolve around hygiene so as to prevent fecal–oral route transmission of diseases. Extra precautions include STI testing, dental dams, or enemas.
Slang terms
Analingus is also known in slang terminology as rimming (or rim job), eating ass, or tossing the salad.[3] The origin of "tossing a salad" is not entirely known, but it is used in prison slang in the United States prison system, where performing anilingus on another inmate is one way of paying dues or gaining favor.[9][10]
Etymology
The term anilingus comes from the Latin words anus and -lingus, from lingere, meaning "to lick"[11] and is based on the pattern of cunnilingus.[12] It entered English through the 1899 F. J. Rebman translation of Edition 10 of sexologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing's 1886 book Psychopathia sexualis.[13][14]
Practice
General
Anilingus can involve a variety of techniques to stimulate the anus, including use of the lips or licking;[3] it may also involve the tongue moving around the edge of the anus or up and down the insides of the cheeks of the buttocks. Insertion of the tongue into the rectum is another possible technique.[15]
Health risks and prevention
Health risk
Anilingus has potential health risks arising from the oral contact with feces. Diseases which may be transmitted by contact with feces include: bacterial diseases including shigellosis (bacillary dysentery); viral systemic diseases including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, poliomyelitis, human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes simplex virus; parasites including intestinal parasites; and infections and inflammations chlamydia infection, gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, gonorrhea, lymphogranuloma venereum[16] and other sexually transmitted infections.[17]
Applying the mouth to the genitals immediately after applying it to the anus can introduce the bacterium Escherichia coli ("E. coli") into the urethra, leading to a urinary tract infection. HIV/AIDS is not believed to be easily transmitted through anilingus.[18]
Anilingus with a number of casual partners increases the health risks associated with the practice. Generally, people carrying infections that may be passed on during anilingus appear healthy. Parasites may be in the feces if undercooked meat was consumed. The feces contain traces of hepatitis A only if the infected person has eaten contaminated food.
Prevention
Safe sex practices may include thorough washing of the anal region before anilingus to wash away most external fecal particles and reduce the risk of contraction of fecal-sourced infection. An enema can also reduce the risk of direct fecal contact.[19] A dental dam may also be used, and another safe sex practice is to avoid unprotected sex which involves fellatio after anal intercourse.
If the receiving partner has wounds or open sores on the genitals, or if the giving partner has wounds or open sores on or in the mouth, or bleeding gums, this poses an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections. Brushing the teeth, flossing, undergoing dental work, and eating crunchy foods (such as potato chips) relatively soon before or after performing anilingus also increases the risk of transmission, because all of these activities can cause small scratches on the inside of the lips, cheeks, and palate. These wounds, even when they are microscopic, increase the chances of contracting sexually transmitted infections that can be transmitted orally under these conditions.
See also
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References
External links
