MORE FOOD FOR SECOND THOUGHTS...Sorry, guys...

More highlights from gayhealth.com:

Technically speaking "anal sex" can apply to any form of sexual anal stimulation. For some of us that means only anal intercourse… but for others it includes toys, fingers, fists, enemas, vegetables, tongues and anything else you can think of.

News flash: an anus is not a vagina. Your anus is only 1 to 2 inches long and connects to the rest of your colon. The anus has two sphincter muscles, the internal sphincter and external sphincter. Your internal sphincter is actually a part of the colon wall and is an involuntary muscle -- which means you can't control it. Your external sphincter is under the skin of your anus and is a voluntary muscle. It also contracts reflexively (and out of your control) when something approaches your anus from the outside. Therefore, no matter how much you want your partner inside you, your muscle will contract to keep him out. But like any muscle, there is a limit to how long it can contract before it has to relax.

Another important difference between a vagina and an anus is that it will not self‑lubricate. No matter how hard you try, your anus will always be an anus. You can't sterilize it. You can, however, gently wash the outer skin with a moist cloth or pad to remove any fecal residue stuck to your skin. If necessary, try to move your bowels prior to sex... A towel is probably your best protection for those thousand thread count sheets.

If you really want to try it, buy a small (finger size) dildo... With time and practice, your level of comfort should dramatically improve... Once you can easily insert the small dildo, try the next larger size until you gradually work up to something approximating the girth of a normal penis or that mega dildo you've been dreaming about. If all goes well, you're ready for your partner... Just remember boys and girls: You can't always take everything just because you want too! Some men (and some toys) will be too large to fit no matter how hard you try.

If you see blood, stop. Most often the bleeding stops quickly. Pain during anal sex most often results from your sphincter muscles going into spasm or from a tear. You can tear the sphincters or your delicate anal lining (a fissure). If it hurts, stop.

Incontinence is an inability to control your bowels or gas. If your anal sex is pain free, your muscles should be fine and you don't have to worry about this dreaded complication. Those who enjoy fisting or large toys can permanently overstretch their sphincters and are at increased risk for incontinence in later life.

Anal sex is the highest risk sex act that men who have sex with men can perform. Virtually every STD can pass between partners during anal sex, and for most, penetration isn't necessary and a condom may not protect you. One medical study published in 1987 found that anal sex with one partner increased your chances of catching HIV by three times ‑‑ five or more partners increased it 18 times.

Although we like to think that a condom is 100 percent effective in preventing HIV, it isn't. A recent medical study... found that unprotected receptive anal sex with a partner with HIV had a 0.82 percent risk of giving you HIV. Unprotected receptive anal sex with a partner whose status was unknown (or believed to be negative) had a 0.27 percent risk of giving you HIV. If you had unprotected insertive anal sex with a partner whose status was positive or unknown you had a 0.06 percent risk of catching HIV.

In plain English, some men caught HIV on their first unprotected experience while others were fine after 20. Unprotected anal sex is like Russian Roulette ‑‑ you never know which shot has the bullet.