Although your butt is an erogenous zone (and a beloved one right here at SELF), the very fact stays that scorching intercourse isn’t its main operate. The anus, a.okay.a. your butthole, and the rectum make up the ultimate sections of your massive gut, the place shit comes out. So for those who’re inquisitive about bottoming however have solely used your ass for lavatory functions up so far, you may be apprehensive about pooping in your companion.

If that’s the case, know that you simply’re not alone: Most anal-sex-having individuals cope with this anxiousness at first! Fortuitously, the probability of that taking place is fairly slim, and there are steps you may take to get your again door sex-ready. Right here’s find out how to get cleaned up earlier than you get into it. (“It” being your butthole.)

Settle for that anal intercourse may get messy, it doesn’t matter what you do.

Let’s begin by clearing one factor up: Except you urgently really feel like you must use the lavatory, or you might have well being points that have an effect on your gastrointestinal system, you’re most likely not going to spontaneously poop throughout intercourse. A finger, penis, or intercourse toy would go in your rectum throughout anal intercourse, and that a part of your physique isn’t the place your poop lives. (It’s saved additional up and out of attain within the sigmoid colon till a muscle contraction referred to as a “mass motion” empties it into your rectum.)

That stated, when poop passes by way of your rectum and out of your anus, some may get left behind. That’s regular! If you happen to encounter some brown remnants throughout intercourse, it doesn’t imply you’re soiled or gross. “Any kind of anal play goes to probably include some fecal matter being a part of the sexual expertise, no matter any cleanliness routine you undergo,” Heather Edwards, MPT, an AASECT-certified intercourse educator and pelvic flooring bodily therapist, tells SELF.

This may sound counterintuitive, however to cite Funkadelic, “Free your thoughts, and your ass will observe.” Earlier than you might have anal intercourse, ensure you and your companion settle for that, sure, you may see a small quantity of poop. Speak by way of the way you’ll deal with that if it occurs. Possibly you’ll determine to maintain some child wipes on the bedside desk for a fast cleanup, or maybe you’ll use limitations like gloves or condoms to forestall any fingers, genitals, or dildos from probably coming into contact with poo. (Boundaries can be useful if you wish to observe anal play with different sorts of intercourse utilizing the identical physique elements. By swapping out limitations in between intercourse acts, you may keep away from spreading micro organism out of your butt to locations the place it doesn’t belong—particularly, different orifices—which may trigger vaginitis or bacterial infections. Normally, you also needs to examine in about safer intercourse practices beforehand, because it’s potential to transmit STIs by way of anal play.)

Having this dialog may really feel embarrassing, however setting practical expectations will help you might have a warmer, higher time. “The anxiousness round having every little thing go completely isn’t going to permit the receiving companion to chill out and revel in it,” Edwards says, and the identical goes for the giver.

Wash your crack a number of hours earlier than having intercourse.

The pores and skin round your anus needs to be clear and debris-free earlier than you get rolling. That is particularly essential earlier than rimming, which is if you use your mouth to stimulate a companion’s butthole, since you may probably unfold and contract parasites, micro organism, and viruses by way of “fecal-oral” transmission.

Carlton Thomas, MD, a San Francisco–based mostly gastroenterologist who focuses on LGBTQ+ intercourse training, tells SELF that your finest guess is cleansing simply the skin of your gap with mild, unscented cleaning soap within the bathe beforehand. If you happen to don’t have time to take a full bathe proper earlier than intercourse, use a child wipe or a bidet, if in case you have one, to clean up your crack and take away any rest room paper detritus.

If waxing or shaving your crack is a part of your routine, make a degree to examine for any bumps earlier than having anal intercourse. “Waxing and shaving might go away the exterior space very irritated for twenty-four to 48 hours afterwards,” Dr. Thomas says. That may make intercourse much less pleasurable and extra dangerous: Cuts and abrasions improve your probability of contracting STIs, in line with Deliberate Parenthood.