Anal Fisting and Safer Sex

Unless you are monogamous or fluid-bonded, you should practice safer sex every time you engage in anal fisting.

Just as you can use water-based lubricants for anal penetration, you can use larger amounts of thicker, water-based lubricants for fisting; however, most experienced fisting aficionados say they prefer oil-based lubes because they are thicker and dry up much less quickly than their water-based counterparts. While you should never use oil-based lubes for vaginal penetration, because they will not naturally flush out of the vagina, they do flush out of the rectum easily during defecation. It is important to remember, however, that you won't be able to use condoms for anal penetration one to two days after oil-based lubricants are used in the rectum, because the oils will destroy latex condoms.

Many fisters use Crisco regularly because it's thick, it's inexpensive, and it works. Regular, rather than butter or other flavors, is recommended. Remember that sticking your hand in a can of Crisco will leave that can full of bacteria and not usable with any new partner. Try Crisco sticks (individually wrapped portions that resemble sticks of butter) or scoop smaller amounts of Crisco out of the can into a separate container for use with one partner and one session; make sure to clean these containers frequently.

If you are nonmonogamous, you should always use protective gloves for fisting; the risks that are present for anal penetration are magnified for anal fisting. Bert Herrman outlines these risks for the insertive partner: The inside of one's body provides ideal transfer conditions for all sorts of microorganisms including the HIV virus. Surface abrasions in the walls of the large intestines (colon) are an ordinary occurrence even in normal conditions. No matter how clean one gets, one's insides will not be sterile...Minor paper cuts, scratches, and sores on your hands cannot be avoided. Microorganisms can even enter the system at the base of the fingernails.

Latex gloves protect the person doing the fisting as well as the person being fisted. Even monogamous and fluid-bonded partners may prefer using gloves since the rectum is easily irritated by fingernails or rough skin.

While it is a proven fact that vegetable shortening and oil-based lubricants break down latex condoms, latex gloves tend to be much thicker than condoms and therefore can be used for fisting. Many sex educators recommend that you change into a fresh pair of gloves every fifteen to twenty minutes to ensure safety by preventing tiny holes from forming in the latex.

Latex gloves are sold in many drug stores, in bags of small quantities or boxes of fifty or one hundred. Some gloves are certified sterile, others aren't; however, the place you'll be putting your hand won't be sterile (not even with the most fastidious enema), so the gloves do not necessarily need to be sterile. Some gloves are powdered on the inside to make it easier to put them on. You should rinse gloves out because the powder may irritate your partner's delicate, sensitive anal tissue. Herrman has another tip for the glove wearer: We also suggest that tops (especially those who are HIV negative) should rub nonoxyno1-9...on their hand before inserting into the glove, in the event of leakage. While [nonoxynol-91 effectively kills the HIV virus, tests have shown that [it is] also very irritating to the kind of cells that line the rectum and vagina. This means that nonoxynol-9 may allow the virus to more effectively penetrate faster. So limit this stuff to inside the glove.

Some people wear two gloves or purchase heavier rubber gloves commonly used for household work; these gloves also tend to be longer (more like "opera length"), which can be a plus for people who want to venture beyond the wrist. Keep in mind that heavier gloves tend to decrease the inserter's sensitivity and sense of how lubricated the glove is. Recently, many people who regularly use latex gloves—especially those in health care professions—have become either allergic to latex or latex-sensitive. If you are sensitive to latex, you might not want to try Herrman's technique of putting nonoxynol-9 inside the glove; you may also want to try well-fitting vinyl gloves. You might try coating your hand with liquid silicone (found in medical supply or auto supply stores) before putting on a latex glove.