10 Women on the One Thing They Wish They Knew Before They Had Anal Sex

Everyone knows there are three quintessential moments that happen during a woman's lifetime: her first period, her first orgasm, and, of course, her first time trying anal. Kidding! But all jokes aside, if anal is something you're interested in exploring for the first time, then you probably have a lot of questions. Will it hurt? Is it worth it? What if I poo?

Cosmpolitan.com spoke to 10 anal aficionados to get the scoop on the one thing they want you to know before you put your thing down, flip it, and reverse it.

1. "Basically, like, the more lube the better. You have to lube that shit up." — Danielle*, 21

2. "Do NOT use cinnamon flavoured lube. I found out the hard way after my boyfriend used the cinnamon kind without telling me. I screamed and immediately ran into the shower to try and stop the burning." — Emma, 23

3. "That it's not mandatory. You don't HAVE to do it if you don't want to." — Jane, 22

4. "That you don't have to do it doggy-style. In fact, that was way too painful for me the first time I tried. It ultimately worked when we got into missionary with me lifting my legs a bit. That way we could look at each other and he could see my face even if I wasn't talking. It helped me feel supported and comfortable, even though it definitely hurt the first time." — Abigail, 27

5. "That it is mind-blowingly pleasurable. When done with care and open communication, it can be amazing. I had always approached the idea with this stigma, that it was something girls begrudgingly did for a guy, not for themselves. Also, that there should be no shame in a woman enjoying it (which I still feel sometimes)" — Maggie, 26

6. "That you don't shit right for days afterwards." —Brianna, 28

7. "He was super respectful and really nice like it was a mutual thing, and so when I hear that some people feel like it's their asshole being set on fire, it makes me think of when I was a teen and everyone was like, "The first time you have sex you're going to rip open your hymen and you're going to cry because it hurts so bad." But I had sex with someone who was respectful then as well and wanted me to have a good time too, so it was very much a process of making sure it was good for both of us. Like yeah maybe anal sex isn't for everyone, but I also think it's for more people than we think?" —​ Megan, 23

8. "After the initial pain, there is definitely pleasure..." — Jess, 22

9. "If you're trying it in hopes that it will bring a spark back to your relationship, it won't." — Kelly, 23

10. "Don't trust a fart for a few hours afterwards. You might actually need a bathroom." — Tanya, 25

*All names have been changed.

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